Effect of Laughter Therapy on Psychological Well-being, Life Satisfaction and Mental Health of the Elderly Living in a Nursing Home
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 69
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- Psychological Well-Being Scale for Older Adults
研究概览
简要总结
This study was designed and conducted as a randomized controlled experimental research with a pre-test and post-test control group to evaluate the effect of laughter therapy on psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health of elderly individuals living in a nursing home.
详细描述
Among the most important indicators of successful aging are individuals' ability to derive satisfaction from life, maintain cognitive and social competence, sustain mental and physical health, possess a sense of personal control, and experience increased longevity. Supporting elderly individuals to live independently, maintaining their social relationships, and encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviors are key to achieving an active and successful aging process.
Life satisfaction is considered one of the most significant factors influencing mental health and determining adaptation during all stages of life, particularly in old age. As an indicator of well-being, life satisfaction has a positive correlation with psychological resilience and mental health. Thus, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health of elderly individuals are interconnected, and interventions aimed at enhancing well-being and life satisfaction are known to positively affect the mental health of older adults.
In this context, laughter therapy has recently gained attention as an approach with observed positive effects on the physical and mental health of elderly individuals. Laughter therapy, developed by Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995, aims to support physical and mental health through laughter and breathing exercises.
Meta-analyses and systematic reviews indicate that laughter therapy has positive psychosocial effects on older adults, including reducing depression, perceived stress, and anxiety, enhancing psychological well-being, regulating blood pressure and cortisol levels, improving sleep and quality of life, reducing death anxiety, loneliness, and depressive tendencies, and increasing happiness, life satisfaction, and mood. Laughter therapy is considered a non-invasive, non-pharmacological, cost-effective, accessible, and easy-to-apply complementary/alternative therapy, with calls for further evidence-based studies to promote its use.
Within this framework, the aim of this research is to determine the effect of laughter therapy on the psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health of elderly individuals.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Supportive Care
- 盲法
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
盲法说明
Due to the nature of the group-based intervention, blinding of participants and the intervention provider was not feasible. To minimize detection bias, post-test and follow-up assessments were conducted by a second researcher who was unaware of group allocation (single-blind, outcome-assessor blinded). Statistical analyses were performed using anonymized group codes.
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 65 Years 至 105 Years（Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Being over the age of 65
- •Scoring ≥ 18 points on the Mini-Mental Examination
- •Having the ability to communicate
- •Not having participated in a laughter therapy session before
排除标准
- •Having severe hearing or perception impairment that hinders communication
- •Having a physical or psychological condition that prevents participation in therapy
- •Having moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease, uncontrolled hypertension, epilepsy, abdominal surgery within the past 3 months, or a surgical procedure with a risk of bleeding
- •Choosing not to continue participating in the study
研究组 & 干预措施
Laughter therapy group
Pre-tests were collected 10 days before the therapy began. The elderly participants were introduced individually and informed face-to-face about laughter therapy. Therapy sessions were conducted face-to-face twice a week, with a total of 12 sessions. Each laughter therapy session lasted 50 minutes. Post-tests were collected immediately after the final therapy session. Four weeks later, follow-up tests were also conducted face-to-face.
干预措施: Laughter therapy (Other)
No intervention group
The control group did not receive laughter therapy; they continued with routine nursing home care. Pre-tests, post-tests, and follow-up tests were collected on the same days as the experimental group. After the follow-up tests were completed, a 30-minute laughter therapy session was provided to control group participants who wished to participate.
结局指标
主要结局
Psychological Well-Being Scale for Older Adults
时间窗: Pre-test, Post-test (6th week), Follow-up Test (4th week)
The scale was used to measure the psychological well-being levels of older adults. It consists of 15 items in a 5-point Likert format (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). No specific cutoff score has been determined for the well-being levels of older adults. Higher scores indicate an increase in the level of well-being. The minimum score obtainable from the scale is 15, while the maximum score is 75.
Life Satisfaction Scale for Older Adults
时间窗: Pre-test, Post-test (6th week), Follow-up Test (4th week)
The scale was used to assess the participation of older adults in the process of life satisfaction. It consists of 14 items across 3 subdimensions and is structured as a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). The scale includes 9 items under the "Self-Acceptance" subdimension, 2 items under the "Motivation" subdimension, and 3 items under the "Peace" subdimension. Scores range from 14 to 70, with individual subdimension scores calculated by dividing the total score by the number of items in each subdimension. The "Self-Acceptance" subdimension ranges from 9 to 45, the "Motivation" subdimension from 2 to 10, and the "Peace" subdimension from 3 to 15.
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21)
时间窗: Pre-test, Post-test (6th week), Follow-up Test (4th week)
The scale was used to assess the mood of older adults by identifying their levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. DASS-21 is a shortened version of the 42-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. It consists of 21 items in a 4-point Likert format (0 = Never, 1 = Sometimes, 2 = Often, 3 = Always) and includes three subdimensions: depression, anxiety, and stress. Each subdimension is measured by 7 questions.
次要结局
未报告次要终点
研究者
Özge Karaca
Research Asisstant
Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa