Laughter Yoga's Impact on Parental Stress, Burnout, and Self-Efficacy

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Laughter Yoga; Stress; Intellectual Disability; Parents; Burnout; Self Efficacy

• Registration Number: NCT07119164
• Lead Sponsor: Pamukkale University

Brief Summary

The present study aims to investigate the effects of laughter yoga on stress levels, burnout, and parental self-efficacy among parents of children with intellectual disabilities.

The specific hypotheses of the study are as follows:

Hypothesis 1: The mean salivary cortisol levels of the intervention group will be significantly lower than those of the control group.

Hypothesis 2: The perceived stress levels of the intervention group will be significantly lower than those of the control group.

Hypothesis 3: The parental self-efficacy levels of the intervention group will be significantly higher than those of the control group.

Hypothesis 4: The burnout levels of the intervention group will be significantly lower than those of the control group.

To assess the effectiveness of the laughter yoga intervention, participants in the intervention group will be compared to a control group of parents who also have children with intellectual disabilities but will not receive any form of intervention. The intervention will consist of a total of eight laughter yoga sessions, conducted twice a week over a four-week period.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2025-04-15
• Primary Completion: 2025-04-30
• Study Completion: 2025-05-15
• Study First Submitted: 2025-07-21
• Status Verified: 2025-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-08-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-08-05
• Study First Posted: 2025-08-12
• Last Update Posted: 2025-08-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 64

Inclusion Criteria

• Parents of children enrolled in the school where the study was conducted
• Parents of children diagnosed with moderate to severe intellectual disability
• Parents who are at least literate
• Parents who can speak and understand Turkish
• Parents with no prior experience in laughter yoga

Exclusion Criteria

• Parents who have undergone abdominal surgery in the past three months, or those with uncontrolled hypertension, glaucoma, hernia, or epilepsy
• Parents diagnosed with endocrine disorders such as Cushing's or Addison's disease
• Parents on continuous medication (e.g., glucocorticoids, antidepressants, insulin, or oral antidiabetics)
• Pregnant parents
• Parents with hearing, vision, speech, or intellectual disabilities

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
self-efficacy	4 weeks	The scale uses a 7-point Likert-type rating system and consists of 17 items. The total score ranges from a minimum of 17 to a maximum of 119. Higher scores indicate higher levels of self-efficacy. The Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.95.; When examining the findings related to the reliability and validity of the scale, it was found-contrary to the original version-that the scale has a unidimensional structure. It has been determined to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing the parental self-efficacy levels of mothers and fathers of children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities in Turkey.
burnout	4 weeks	The items are rated on a 4-point scale based on how frequently participants experience the emotions described in the items, ranging from 0 ("never") to 4 ("every day"). The scale consists of two subdimensions: Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment.; The Emotional Exhaustion subscale includes 13 items and has a reliability coefficient of 0.80. Higher average scores on this subscale indicate greater levels of burnout. The Personal Accomplishment subscale consists of 8 items, also with a reliability coefficient of 0.80. Unlike the Emotional Exhaustion subscale, lower average scores on the Personal Accomplishment subscale indicate a higher level of experienced burnout.
Perceived stress	4 weeks	The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was calculated as 0.84, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was found to be 0.87. The scale consists of 14 items and is rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The total score obtained from the sum of the items reflects the respondent's perceived level of stress, with higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived stress.
stress	4 weeks	Stress levels were assessed by analyzing salivary cortisol concentrations.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Pamukkale Üniversitesi; 🇹🇷 Denizli, Kınıklı, Turkey