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Modifying quiet room design enhances calming of children and adolescents
C A Glod1, M H Teicher, M Butler
1Hall-Mercer Snider Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02178.
Objective:
To determine whether altering design of a quiet room (QR) produced more rapid calming of agitated or aggressive hospitalized children.
Method:
One of five similar QRs was modified by painting the white walls tea rose, carpeting the vinyl floor, and painting a picturesque mural on one wall. The effects of these modifications were assessed in 19 patients (mean age = 9.6 years), using a within-subjects, repeated-measures design. Overt Aggression ratings were made at the time of placement, and at 5-minute intervals thereafter, until the child was dismissed. Children were blind to the fact that a study was being conducted; raters and staff were not.
Results:
Total aggression ratings were 45% lower in the modified QR than in the standard QR (p < .03), and initial aggression scores fell by 50% during 5 minutes of placement in the modified QR, but only after 20 minutes of placement in the standard QR (p < .0001). Motor excitement and verbal aggression were the two component factors most strongly influenced by QR design.
Conclusion:
This preliminary report suggests that it may be possible to modify QRs to facilitate calming of aggressive, agitated children and provides preliminary support for redesign of QRs.