Art Therapy Pain Management Adolescents Pediatric ED

This project is studying adolescents between the ages of 12 to 18 years that come to the emergency department and are in pain. We want to find out how well art therapy is able to decrease the pain they are experiencing. Art therapy will involve making art and working with an art therapist to find new ways of expressing thoughts and feelings through art making. In adolescents presenting to the emergency department with a painful condition, our aims are as follows: Aim #1: To determine the degree that art therapy intervention reduces pain and anxiety. Aim #2: To determine the degree that art therapy reduces pain and anxiety 1 hour after the intervention. Aim #3: To explore the qualitative experience of patients undergoing art therapy intervention.