Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy
BackgroundHospitalization can be an extremely distressing experience for seriously ill and injured children. Art therapy has a well-established clinical history, and recent research has begun to demonstrate its effectiveness in somatic pediatric wards. Descriptive and statistical research indicates...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1353507/full |
| _version_ | 1797260734633082880 |
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| author | Patricia Loreskär Patricia Loreskär Per-Einar Binder |
| author_facet | Patricia Loreskär Patricia Loreskär Per-Einar Binder |
| author_sort | Patricia Loreskär |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundHospitalization can be an extremely distressing experience for seriously ill and injured children. Art therapy has a well-established clinical history, and recent research has begun to demonstrate its effectiveness in somatic pediatric wards. Descriptive and statistical research indicates that art therapy can alleviate anxiety and fear, improve mood, and enhance communication among children, parents, and healthcare professionals. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the specific elements of art therapy that facilitate a connection with the healthier aspects of the self.MethodA total of 12 hospitalized children, aged 4–12, participated in an art therapy session led by a certified art therapist. Verbalizations during the sessions were recorded, and subsequent observations were synchronized with verbatim transcriptions of audio recordings. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to identify relevant patterns of meaning.FindingsThe study identified four significant dimensions of the children’s experiences during art therapy: (1) The child feels safe, (2) The child becomes a competent artist, bursting with creativity, (3) The healthy child emerges, and (4) The child achieves something beyond its limits – a triumph.DiscussionThe active ingredients contributing to effective art therapy include the stimulation of creativity, guided art-making with scaffolding support, task variation, granting children control over the artistic process, encouragement of free expression, and the display of positive regard. This study also delves into the therapeutic alliance, emphasizing its role in facilitating children’s learning, self-expression, concentration, and the creation of work they take pride in. Additionally, certain psychotherapy-like interactions, such as control-mastery dynamics, were observed. Nevertheless, more extensive research with larger sample sizes is required to draw broader conclusions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:30:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31a952e495b3420cb85b5f240942de40 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:30:02Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-31a952e495b3420cb85b5f240942de402024-03-15T15:42:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-03-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.13535071353507Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapyPatricia Loreskär0Patricia Loreskär1Per-Einar Binder2Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayEducational and Psychological Counselling Service, Bergen Municipality, Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayBackgroundHospitalization can be an extremely distressing experience for seriously ill and injured children. Art therapy has a well-established clinical history, and recent research has begun to demonstrate its effectiveness in somatic pediatric wards. Descriptive and statistical research indicates that art therapy can alleviate anxiety and fear, improve mood, and enhance communication among children, parents, and healthcare professionals. This study aims to enhance our understanding of the specific elements of art therapy that facilitate a connection with the healthier aspects of the self.MethodA total of 12 hospitalized children, aged 4–12, participated in an art therapy session led by a certified art therapist. Verbalizations during the sessions were recorded, and subsequent observations were synchronized with verbatim transcriptions of audio recordings. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to identify relevant patterns of meaning.FindingsThe study identified four significant dimensions of the children’s experiences during art therapy: (1) The child feels safe, (2) The child becomes a competent artist, bursting with creativity, (3) The healthy child emerges, and (4) The child achieves something beyond its limits – a triumph.DiscussionThe active ingredients contributing to effective art therapy include the stimulation of creativity, guided art-making with scaffolding support, task variation, granting children control over the artistic process, encouragement of free expression, and the display of positive regard. This study also delves into the therapeutic alliance, emphasizing its role in facilitating children’s learning, self-expression, concentration, and the creation of work they take pride in. Additionally, certain psychotherapy-like interactions, such as control-mastery dynamics, were observed. Nevertheless, more extensive research with larger sample sizes is required to draw broader conclusions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1353507/fullart therapychildrenhospitalobservationreflexive thematic analysis |
| spellingShingle | Patricia Loreskär Patricia Loreskär Per-Einar Binder Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy Frontiers in Psychology art therapy children hospital observation reflexive thematic analysis |
| title | Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy |
| title_full | Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy |
| title_fullStr | Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy |
| title_short | Nothing less than a creative triumph: a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy |
| title_sort | nothing less than a creative triumph a study of children admitted to hospital for serious somatic illness or injury and their experience of art therapy |
| topic | art therapy children hospital observation reflexive thematic analysis |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1353507/full |
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