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Keywords = clown-doctors

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10 pages, 233 KiB  
Article
Jesters of Well-Being: Examining the Relationship between Clown Doctors and Patients
by Alberto Dionigi, Alessandra Fermani and Carla Canestrari
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(5), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050398 - 10 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
Clown doctors play a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of patients through the use of humor. However, little is known about how the use of humor by clown doctors changes in relation to the developmental age of patients. This research explores the [...] Read more.
Clown doctors play a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of patients through the use of humor. However, little is known about how the use of humor by clown doctors changes in relation to the developmental age of patients. This research explores the interplay between the type of humor used by clown doctors, their experience (in terms of years of clowning and type of clowning), and the developmental age of the patients (children, adolescents, adults, elderly). Data for this cross-sectional study were collected through an online survey distributed to 210 Italian clown doctors (143 females, 67 males), aged between 18 and 75 years (M = 47.34, SD = 12.31), affiliated with different Clown Care Units. The survey included the Comic Styles Markers, questions on the patients’ developmental age, type of clowning (Auguste vs. Whiteface), and years of experience. The findings enhance our understanding on how clown doctors interact with patients of different developmental ages. The discussion draws connections to previous studies conducted on groups of clown doctors, providing a broader context for understanding the implications of humorous interactions in this unique healthcare domain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Humor Use in Interpersonal Relationships)
18 pages, 5286 KiB  
Article
An Interactive Augmented and Virtual Reality System for Managing Dental Anxiety among Young Patients: A Pilot Study
by Reham Alabduljabbar, Maha Almutawa, Renad Alkathiri, Abeer Alqahtani and Hala Alshamlan
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 5603; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095603 - 1 May 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5512
Abstract
Dental anxiety is a common health problem among children. It creates major issues for patients, parents, and dental professionals. Children who cancel or otherwise miss their dental appointments generally do so due to fear of the unknown and lack of understanding of what [...] Read more.
Dental anxiety is a common health problem among children. It creates major issues for patients, parents, and dental professionals. Children who cancel or otherwise miss their dental appointments generally do so due to fear of the unknown and lack of understanding of what they can expect from the environment and treatment when they arrive there. Some distraction interventions are already used by dental professionals, such as using clown doctors, watching cartoons, and utilizing the tell–show–do (TSD) technique. Still, the problem is common, and the fail to attend (FTA) rates at clinics are high. Familiarizing children with the dental setting and procedures in advance may help to manage their anxiety. This paper aims to help in managing children’s dental anxiety in a simple, attractive, and age-appropriate way through the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The developed system is named “Dr. Barea”. It targets Arabic-speaking children aged from 7 to 10 years old. It uses model–view–control (MVC) as its architectural design pattern. The proposed solution consists of three main sections: a 360° VR video that simulates a dental clinic environment, an educational description on dental tools using AR technology, and interactive educational stories that educate children about dental hygiene. The system performance was evaluated using unit, integration, performance, and user acceptance testing. The results demonstrate that the proposed solution, which performed reasonably, achieved the usability requirements and was engaging for learning information about dental hygiene. A feasibility study with 16 children was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system. The Child Fear Survey Schedule—Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) was used to measure children’s dental anxiety level. The T test was used to evaluate the differences between groups, and Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distributions of gender and age between the groups. The CFSS-DS index in the VR group decreased after dental consultation (35.04 ± 9.14 before consultation and 32.32 ± 8.32 after consultation, p = 0.041). The implications of this study shall be beneficial to patients, parents, and dental professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Virtual Reality Applications in Healthcare)
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10 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
Do Clowns Really Taste Funny? An Investigation of the Relationship between Humor and Playfulness in Clown Doctors
by Alberto Dionigi, Alessandra Fermani and Carla Canestrari
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13040328 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4118
Abstract
Healthcare clowning represents a well-established method for relieving patients and their relatives of discomfort during hospitalization. Although studies concerning the effectiveness of this approach are increasing in number, state-of-the-art studies conducted to evaluate the psychological characteristics of clown doctors are scarce. In this [...] Read more.
Healthcare clowning represents a well-established method for relieving patients and their relatives of discomfort during hospitalization. Although studies concerning the effectiveness of this approach are increasing in number, state-of-the-art studies conducted to evaluate the psychological characteristics of clown doctors are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, a convenient sample of 210 clown doctors (143 females, 67 males) aged between 18 and 75 years (M = 47.34, SD = 12.31) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Comic Styles Markers, and the Short Measure for Adult Playfulness. The results demonstrated that clown doctors bring higher levels of fun, benevolent humor, and nonsense and a lower level of cynicism compared to the populace. Moreover, the participants with more experience tend to use less irony, sarcasm, and cynicism than those with less experience. Playfulness was primarily related to the lighter styles of humor, and specific differences between the Whiteface and the Auguste clown doctors were observed. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies conducted on groups of clown doctors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Positive Humor: New Insights and Perspectives)
13 pages, 1083 KiB  
Article
Associations of Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Empathy with Psychological Health in Healthcare Volunteers
by Alberto Dionigi, Giulia Casu and Paola Gremigni
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(16), 6001; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17166001 - 18 Aug 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6494
Abstract
Optimism and self-efficacy have been associated with psychological health. Empathy has also been found to have a unique role in community health volunteering and promote positive functioning. This study investigated whether self-efficacy and optimism were associated with psychological health in terms of psychological [...] Read more.
Optimism and self-efficacy have been associated with psychological health. Empathy has also been found to have a unique role in community health volunteering and promote positive functioning. This study investigated whether self-efficacy and optimism were associated with psychological health in terms of psychological and subjective well-being in healthcare volunteers. It also investigated whether empathy added to the explanation of psychological health, over and above that accounted for by self-efficacy and optimism. A convenience sample of 160 Italian clown doctors volunteering in various hospitals completed self-report measures of self-efficacy, optimism, empathy, psychological well-being, and subjective well-being. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that self-efficacy and optimism were associated with both outcomes and that aspects of empathy, such as others’ perspective taking and personal distress for others’ difficulties, added to the explanation of psychological health with opposite effects. The present study adds to previous research on the role of self-efficacy, optimism, and empathy for community health volunteers’ psychological health. It also offers suggestions regarding the training for this type of volunteer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Survey about Psychological Health)
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5 pages, 360 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Medical Clowns Exposure over Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in Children and Caregivers: An Israeli Experience
by Nitza Newman, Slava Kogan, Moshe Stavsky, Shay Pintov and Yotam Lior
Pediatr. Rep. 2019, 11(3), 8165; https://doi.org/10.4081/pr.2019.8165 - 24 Sep 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 1682
Abstract
While postoperative pain management was shown to reduce unwanted physiological and emotional outcomes, pediatric postoperative pain management remains suboptimal. Medical-clowns were shown to be beneficial in many medical contexts including reduction of stress, anxiety and pain. This study was set to assess the [...] Read more.
While postoperative pain management was shown to reduce unwanted physiological and emotional outcomes, pediatric postoperative pain management remains suboptimal. Medical-clowns were shown to be beneficial in many medical contexts including reduction of stress, anxiety and pain. This study was set to assess the effectiveness of medical-clowns on pediatric postoperative pain reduction. Children age 4 or above, planned for elective hernia repair surgery were recruited. Children were randomly divided to a control or medicalclown escorted groups. Demographical and clinical data were collected using questionnaires and electronic sheets. Children escorted by clowns reported lower levels of pain upon admittance, discharge and 12-hours post-surgery. Statistically significant reduction of parental distress and significantly higher serum cortisol levels were observed in the clown-therapy group. Although small, our study supports the possibility that preoperative medical-clown therapy might be a cheap, safe and yet beneficial method for postoperative pain reduction. Full article
3 pages, 574 KiB  
Article
Salivary Cortisol Levels: The Importance of Clown Doctors to Reduce Stress
by Flávia G. Saliba, Natanael S. Adiwardana, Eliane U. Uehara, Renata N. Silvestre, Victor V. Leite, Francisca T.V. Faleiros, Flávia H.P. Padovani and Juliana I.F. De Gobbi
Pediatr. Rep. 2016, 8(1), 6188; https://doi.org/10.4081/pr.2016.6188 - 31 Mar 2016
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
This study was designed to correlate entertainment of clown-doctors (CD) activities on hospitalized children and aphysiological biomarker. For this purpose we collected saliva samples and verified children satisfaction with these activities by using a visual analog scale (VAS). Children from 6 to 7 [...] Read more.
This study was designed to correlate entertainment of clown-doctors (CD) activities on hospitalized children and aphysiological biomarker. For this purpose we collected saliva samples and verified children satisfaction with these activities by using a visual analog scale (VAS). Children from 6 to 7 years-old, with diagnosis of any acute pathology, interned in the Pediatric Ward of the Botucatu Medical School Hospital (São Paulo, Brazil) were interviewed. Two groups were taken into consideration: lunchCD and dinnerCD. The following protocol was applied in each group (lunch and dinner): collection of the first saliva sample and presentation of VAS prior to CD activities, followed by collection of a second saliva sample and another VAS assessment after CD activities. The salivary cortisol was reduced in both groups comparing the first saliva sample. The satisfaction of the intervention was evident for lunchCD. The CD intervention is effective in decreasing an important physiological biomarker of stress factor, cortisol, in hospitalized children, been effective for the healing process. Full article
16 pages, 618 KiB  
Article
Hospital Clowning as Play Stimulus in Healthcare
by Laura Anes and Marianne Obi
Children 2014, 1(3), 374-389; https://doi.org/10.3390/children1030374 - 30 Oct 2014
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 11291
Abstract
A serious illness, a chronic medical condition or a hospital bed should not deny any child her/his basic right to play, a right essential for children’s development and general wellbeing. In fact, it is in these frightening and anxious moments that play and [...] Read more.
A serious illness, a chronic medical condition or a hospital bed should not deny any child her/his basic right to play, a right essential for children’s development and general wellbeing. In fact, it is in these frightening and anxious moments that play and the stimulus that it provides can help the most. This article will focus on the impacts and benefits of professional hospital clowning for the wellbeing and recovery process of ill and hospitalized children. Our experience has shown that through interactive play and humor, “clowndoctors” can create an enabling and supportive environment that facilitates children’s adaptation to the hospital setting and improves their acceptance of medical procedures and staff. While moving from bedside to bedside, RED NOSES clowndoctors encourage children’s active participation and support their natural instinct to play, fully including them in the interaction, if the children wish to do so. Therefore, clowndoctor performances offer ill children much needed stimulus, self-confidence and courage, elements fundamental to reducing their vulnerability. In this piece, a special emphasis will be put on the various approaches used by RED NOSES clowndoctors to bond and reach out to children suffering from different medical conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Play in Children’s Health and Development)
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