How the parents perceive the work of hospital clowns in the context of bereavement: A qualitative study.

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative research is to describe how the parents perceive the work of hospital clowns in the context of bereavement. Using the text analysis software T-LAB (Version 9.1.3) with a co-occurrence strategy we examined several bereaved parents’ narratives related to the clowning. We showed six themes from parents’ narratives: “The Funny Side of Life”, “Good Memories,” “The Clown is a ‘Big Kid’,” “They Are Part of My Family,” “Bringing Life and Creating Vital Disorder,” and “Awareness of a Clown’s Abilities.” We will interpret the themes according to a humanistic/existential framework as the theoretical base. According to parents’ experience, professional hospital clowns appear to bring a positive contribution in terms of the reconstruction of meaning in the context of bereavement.

Integration of Healthcare Clowns into Pediatric Palliative Care: A Bridge Between Life and Death

“…Particularly in PC, HCs deliver a holistic treatment that complements [4,43,44], based on each person's needs, in line with what is suggested [10]. They also generate positive memories of the process consistent with international evidence [45]. These findings also resonate with research indicating that, in working with death, spiritual aspects are fundamental [46].…”