Effects of a Poetry Intervention on Emotional Wellbeing in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Child Psychiatry
• Creative Arts Therapies

Background:

• Hospitalization presents unique challenges and stressors for pediatric patients and their families.
• Increased stress and anxiety are common during pediatric hospital stays.
• The therapeutic potential of creative interventions in pediatric care is an emerging area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the therapeutic effects of a poetry intervention on the emotional well-being of hospitalized pediatric patients.
• To assess changes in specific emotional and physical symptoms following poetry-based activities.
• To explore patient and parent experiences with the poetry intervention through qualitative feedback.

Main Methods:

• Inclusion of pediatric patients (8-17 years) and their caregivers.
• Utilizing the Pediatric Quality of Life Present Functioning Visual Analogue Scales to measure fear, sadness, anger, worry, fatigue, and pain before and after the intervention.
• Implementing a poetry intervention involving reading and writing exercises.
• Collecting qualitative data via open-ended surveys from participants and parents.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant reductions were observed in fear (P=.021), sadness (P=.004), anger (P=.039), worry (P=.041), and fatigue (P<.001).
• Pain reduction did not reach statistical significance (P=.092).
• Qualitative analysis revealed themes of increased happiness, family involvement, distraction, creativity, and self-reflection.

Conclusions:

• Poetry interventions demonstrate a significant positive impact on multiple emotional and physical symptoms in hospitalized children, excluding pain.
• The findings suggest poetry is a viable and beneficial therapeutic modality for pediatric patients.
• This study provides a foundation for further research into the efficacy of poetry as a complementary therapy in pediatric healthcare settings.