Creating healing spaces and promoting well-being through clay-work in children's hospitals.

Background: Numerous studies have shown that there is sufficient evidence that art activities have health-promoting effects in a clinical setting. However, the effect of art workshops offering clay-work in children's clinics outside a therapy setting has largely not been explored. This study aims to contribute to close this research gap.

Methods: Using the grounded theory methodology, an artistic clay-work project was evaluated in various wards in children's hospitals in Germany based on semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document analysis.

Results: Art activities with natural clay outside a therapy setting promote the well-being of children and their relatives in many ways during a stay in the hospital. They provide relief as well as activation and strengthen children both individually and socially.

Conclusion: Artistic clay-work workshops are primarily beneficial through an explicitly artistic attitude and an artistic setting with a focus on autonomy, openness, freedom and inclusion.