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Supporting Children Living with Chronic Medical Conditions Through Empathetic Art

August 2020
Journal of Child and Family Studies 29(5)

Authors:

Georgetown University

Empathy has been shown to reduce stress for children coping with healthcare experiences. This descriptive study explored the ability of professional artists to express empathy through paintings created for children with chronic medical conditions. Aims included (1) to artistically describe children with serious chronic medical conditions; (2) to capture the children’s responses to a personal empathetic art piece; (3) to explore the ability of an intervention using the artwork to reduce heart rate and improve children’s present functioning quality of life (QOL); and (4) to determine the meaning of the experience for the artists. This grounded theory study used a mixed methods design that included interview, observation, art making, heart rate, and PedsQL™ Present Functioning VAS. Two artists created paintings for eight children (ages 10–19 years) following a one-time interview. Quantitative measures were taken pre- and post-debriefing/art therapy intervention. Artistic descriptions reflected the children as being more than their chronic medical conditions. Children acknowledged feeling that they had been heard. Reduction in heart rate was statistically significant (p = 0.025, at p < 0.05). PedsQL™ VAS scores indicated a trend toward improved present functioning QOL (p = 0.0667). Study participation was both meaningful and stressful for the artists. Findings support the emergent theory that professional artists who can listen with an empathetic ear and then express empathy through their art can help humanize pediatric healthcare and increase flourishing for children with chronic medical conditions.

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Journal of Child and Family Studies (2020) 29:2218–2233

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01738-w

ORIGINAL PAPER

Supporting Children Living with Chronic Medical Conditions

Through Empathetic Art

Judy Rollins 1●Christine Rollins2●Lori Anne Boocks3●Terry Sitz4

Published online: 28 June 2020

Abstract

Empathy has been shown to reduce stress for children coping with healthcare experiences. This descriptive study explored

the ability of professional artists to express empathy through paintings created for children with chronic medical conditions.

Aims included (1) to artistically describe children with serious chronic medical conditions; (2) to capture the children’s

responses to a personal empathetic art piece; (3) to explore the ability of an intervention using the artwork to reduce heart

rate and improve children’s present functioning quality of life (QOL); and (4) to determine the meaning of the experience for

the artists. This grounded theory study used a mixed methods design that included interview, observation, art making, heart

rate, and PedsQL™Present Functioning VAS. Two artists created paintings for eight children (ages 10–19 years) following

a one-time interview. Quantitative measures were taken pre- and post-debrieﬁng/art therapy intervention. Artistic

descriptions reﬂected the children as being more than their chronic medical conditions. Children acknowledged feeling that

they had been heard. Reduction in heart rate was statistically signiﬁcant (p=0.025, at p< 0.05). PedsQL™VAS scores

indicated a trend toward improved present functioning QOL (p=0.0667). Study participation was both meaningful and

stressful for the artists. Findings support the emergent theory that professional artists who can listen with an empathetic ear

and then express empathy through their art can help humanize pediatric healthcare and increase ﬂourishing for children with

chronic medical conditions.

Keywords Children with chronic conditions ●Empathy ●Art therapy ●Arts in health ●Well-being

Highlights

●Empathetic art helped children feel seen, heard, and acknowledged as being more than their chronic medical conditions.

●Children showed a trend toward improved present functioning quality of life from the experience of being empathized

with through paintings created for them.

●For artists, study participation was both meaningful and stressful.

●Artists can make signiﬁcant contributions to psychosocial support for children with chronic medical conditions.

Today, children are surviving diseases and conditions that

were once fatal. According to the most recent national

survey, 19.4% of children in the United States have a

chronic medical condition (Child and Adolescent Health

Measurement Initiative 2016). A chronic medical condition

is a health problem that lasts three months or more, affects a

child’s normal activities, and requires frequent hospitaliza-

tions, home health care, and/or extensive medical care

(Mokkink et al. 2008). Beyond the physical factors such as

pain, fatigue, or lack of mobility that their conditions pre-

sent, children might experience internal (e.g., emotional and

behavioral) and external (e.g., interpersonal, ﬁnancial,

housing, educational) psychosocial factors that can affect

*Judy Rollins

judy.rolllins@georgetown.edu

1Georgetown University School of Medicine, 1406 28th Street NW,

Washington, DC 20007, USA

2Fairfax County Public Schools, Falls Church, VA, USA

3Lori Anne Boocks Artist, Germantown, MD, USA

4Terry Sitz Artist, LLC, Silver Spring, MD, USA

Supplementary Information The online version of this article

(https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01738-w) contains

supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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