Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Promoting coping for children of hospitalized service members with combat injuries through creative arts engagement.
Journal Name
Arts and Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy, and Practice
Journal Volume
7
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
109-122
DOI
10.1080/17533015.2015.1019707
Summary
Children of Service members who have been wounded in combat face many unique experiences that can be stressful and frightening. This study explores the ways in which a program focused on creative arts engagement helped children negotiate those experiences. Findings indicated that the program supported children through an increase in positive visits with the injured parent, and through opportunities for self-expression, distraction and respite, parental engagement, normalization, and empowerment.
Key Findings
Children who engaged in the program were able to create something (such as a drawing, song, or dance) that they could present to the injured parent upon entering the hospital room, which artists reported lessened the anxiety children had around the initial encounter with their injured parent.
The program provided a place for children to experience distraction, respite, and a sense of normalization during their time in the busy and stressful hospital environment, which was also helpful for the non-injured parents, allowing them to focus on the injured parents and important logistics.
Many children were able to engage with their injured parents in new ways through this program, which allowed the children to focus on the parents’ abilities rather than their injuries.
Implications for Program Leaders
Integrate the use of art in classes for children of Service members, focusing on art as an avenue for self-expression and empowerment
Create workshops for children of injured Service members with attention to the creation of art that will give the children something concrete to do for and with their parents
Use art-based activities as opportunities for Service members to actively engage with their children
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support the implementation of programs for families of injured Service members
Recommend training for professionals who work with military families to educate them about the experience of children of injured Service members
Encourage programs to integrate art-based approaches in work with Service members and their families
Methods
A program called Allies in the Arts was offered to injured Service members being treated at a Military Treatment Facility in the mid-Atlantic U.S. and their families.
Data regarding children’s experience of the program were collected through the evaluation of session notes, observation of sessions, and focus groups with the artists leading the children’s activities.
Researchers coded data to determine themes emerging regarding children’s experiences of the program.
Participants
All participants were children of injured Service members.
Information from 125 to 150 child encounters was included in the analysis.
Specific demographic information of participants was not available, but the program included children from toddlers through teenagers.
Limitations
This study did not utilize any type of structured interview or formal assessment of the constructs examined. All results were based on observation and artist opinion or report.
Researchers did not interact with the participants directly; different themes may have emerged if researchers had asked participants about the program themselves.
No information was included regarding demographics of participants, so it is unclear how generalizable these findings are.
Avenues for Future Research
Systematically evaluate the effect of such programs on pertinent child outcomes (such as depression, anxiety, and parent relationship quality) with the use of standardized measures
Evaluate whether the program is helpful in different ways for children and youth of different ages (such as toddlers versus teenagers)
Gather data directly from participants or participants’ parents to identify their perception of the helpfulness of such a program
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Over 50,000 US service members have been physically wounded in combat – even more with invisible injuries – since current conflicts began in 2002, creating a crisis of substantial magnitude for their families. A great proportion of injured service members are mothers or fathers as well. A parent’s combat injury can have a profound effect on his or her children. Methods: Appreciative inquiry, a qualitative methodology, was used alongside participant observation and document review. Results: Findings indicate that the program addressed children’s needs at a number of points in time with six themes that have emerged from the data. These include, visits with the injured parent, self-expression, distraction and respite, parental engagement, normalization and empowerment. Conclusions: The findings lend support on ways an artists-in-residence program uses creative arts engagement to promote coping for children of hospitalized wounded service members and to encourage ongoing participation in the arts upon discharge.
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