Sleep disorders among children are frequently reported during hospitalization and after discharge, which negatively impacts the quality of life of children and their families. Therapeutic interventions are necessary to improve sleep quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of painting activities on children's post-discharge sleep habits. In this randomized clinical trial, ۱۰۸ children hospitalized in Bu-Ali Sina Hospital in Sari, Amirkola Hospital in Babol, Rasoul Akram, and Ali Asghar Hospital in Tehran were randomly assigned to the intervention (n=۵۴) and control (n=۵۴) groups. Ultimately, ۵۰ subjects in the control group and ۳۲ in the intervention group completed the study. The family completed the electronic Children's Sleep Quality Questionnaire regarding the child's sleep status one week after discharge. From the submitted forms, families whose child's score increased compared to the calculated score before hospitalization were selected. In the intervention group, painting activities were conducted for ۱۰ nights over three weeks, commencing one-week post-discharge, under parental supervision. After one week of intervention, the participants were requested to complete the electronic questionnaire again. Data were analyzed using SPSS version ۱۶ software and descriptive and analytical statistics (t-tests, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, analysis of covariance, etc.). The majority of subjects were female, with a mean age of ۷۲.۸ ± ۲۰.۶ months in the intervention group and ۸۰.۸ ± ۲۰.۹ months in the control group. Most of the study subjects in the intervention group had bedtime story and lullaby habits and, in the control, had other sleep habits. The intervention did not significantly affect overall sleep habits; however, there were significant differences observed in the domains of sleep duration and nighttime walking. Although painting activities did not improve the overall score of sleep habits in children, they did enhance sleep duration and some other subcategories. Therefore, post-discharge painting intervention is recommended for children.
