Art therapy and behavior development in the context of hospitalization

Abstract

Hospitalization may have negative effects on child development and behavior. Thus the aim of this work was to evaluate the behavior during the hospitalization of 7- to 10-year old children, before and after art therapy intervention. It was proposed a quasi-experimental plan with a control group (n=10) and a group that was submitted to art therapy intervention (n=10). Results show that these interventions were effective in improving the behavior of the children. Hospitals can also be stimulating environments for children if they offer them health care practices that go beyond the disease.