THE EFFECTS OF LAUGHTER THERAPY (HUMOR (original) (raw)
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Belitung Nursing Journal, 2019
Background: Depression level among elderly remains high in Indonesia. One of efforts to decrease depression is laughter therapy, which is assumed able to lower depression. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of laughter therapy on depression level in elderly at Nursing Home of Binjai Integrated Social Service Unit for the Elderly, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest posttest with control group design. Forty-two participants were selected using a purposive sampling, with twenty-one participants were randomly assigned in each group. An experimental group received one-hour laughter therapy for 3 times a week in 4 weeks, and a control group received usual care. Depression was measured using Geriatric Depression Scale-15. Data were collected from April to June 2018. Independent and dependent t-test were used for data analysis. Results: Findings revealed that the level of depression in elderly significantly decreased in the exp...
Beneficial effect of laughter therapy on physiological and psychological function in elders
Nursing Open
The world's population has been rapidly ageing in recent decades. The United Nations reported that the population aged 60 or above comprised 12% of the global population in 2015 and is growing at a rate of 3.26% a year. Under this situation, some developed countries are already reaching a super-ageing society. Because ageing is associated with progressive degenerative changes in not only organ function but also both physiological and psychological function, resulting in a decline in quality of life (QOL), promotion of the physical and mental health of older people to improve QOL is becoming a more important issue in an ageing society. From the viewpoint of controlling the escalating healthcare/medical cost associated with an increasing elderly population, cost-free and practical treatment is sought, in addition to established conventional therapies. Various strategies for health promotion of older people have already been investigated, among which laughter therapy has been evaluated in many studies and is expected to be effective. Laughter (or humour) therapy has been focused on as an easily accessible, noninvasive, nonpharmacological treatment and has been performed in various groups of participants and as a part of various programmes all over the world (Arrick & Mayhan,
A Comprehensive Review on the Effects of Humor in Patients With Depression
Cureus
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. Although there are known, effective treatments for depression, people in low-and middle-income areas experience multiple barriers which limit their ability to receive adequate treatment. Some known barriers to effective care include a lack of resources, lack of trained healthcare providers, and social stigma associated with mental disorders and this creates gaps in mental health care and the need for more treatment modalities and adjuvant therapies to address these gaps. This review article was conducted using the scale for the assessment of non-systematic review articles (SANRA). We searched three databases; EMBASE, PubMed (MEDLINE), and Google Scholar using specified search terms. We had a total of nine articles with sample sizes ranging from 37 to 1551, and the age of participants ranged from 23 to 93 years. Articles were diverse in race and geographical locations. The articles were derived from cross-sectional studies, randomized studies, and experimental studies, and they focused on the relationship between humor and depression, and the reduced risk of depression in the study population. The articles identified different aspects of the relationship between humor and depression. The willingness of patients with depression to recognize or participate in humor could be defective resulting in abnormal social interactions such as withdrawal. However, there was some significant influence of humor or its styles on patients with depression either mitigating depressive symptoms or having no impact at all.
https://www.ijhsr.org/IJHSR\_Vol.9\_Issue.9\_Sep2019/IJHSR\_Abstract.013.html, 2019
Quality of life of elderly is greatly affected by their living place. As there is drastic increase in elderly population in India; many questions arises related to their care. Quality of life of elderly living in old age homes need greater attention from caregiver for that various non pharmacological techniques are used. The Objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of laughter therapy on quality of life of elderly residing in old age home. A Pre experimental study (one group pre-test and post-test) was conducted on 60 elderly residing at old age home selected by purposive sampling technique. The elderly allocated in three groups (20 in each group). 16 sessions (4 sessions / week) of 40 minute duration were provided to each group. Data was collected by administering WHOQOL-BREFF questionnaire. The results of study revealed that the pre-test mean±SD score of quality of life was 157.4 ±43.09 and post-test mean±SD score was 178.53±34.26. It was found that there was statistically significant difference in the pre-test and post-test score of quality of life (t=2.740) at 0.05 level. There was a significant association between pre-test score of quality of life and presence of any illness/disease and post-test score of quality of life with sex and type of admission at 0.05 level. The study findings concluded that Laughter Therapy was effective to improve the quality of life of elderly residing at old age homes.
A quasi experimental study was conducted in Mumbai city with an objective to evaluate the effect of laughter therapy on the happiness and life satisfaction among elderly. There were total 80 participants (40 from laughter therapy group and 40 from non-laughter therapy group) from age group of 60-75 years. Participants of the laughter therapy group were chosen on the criteria of completing at least six months of active participation in laughter therapy sessions. The present study shows a positive effect of laughter therapy on happiness and life satisfaction among elderly, and a positive correlation between happiness and life satisfaction was also found.
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2012
Positive effects of humor on older patients with depressive symptoms have been repeatedly reported. Empirical evidence however is rare. We investigated the efficacy of a standardized humor therapy group in a clinical context especially for older depressed patients. Patients and methods: An experimental group with treatment (49 patients) was compared with a control group with no treatment (50 patients) in a semi-randomized design. Included were patients with major depression according to ICD-10. A set of questionnaires (Geriatric Depression Scale, Short Form Health Survey, State-Trait-Cheerfulness Inventory, and Satisfaction with Life Scale) was administered pretreatment and posttreatment. Results: Both groups showed improvement for depression, suicidal tendency, state cheerfulness, and state bad mood. Only participants of the humor group showed changes of state seriousness and satisfaction with life (p < 0.05). Further trends could be demonstrated for higher changes in state cheerfulness and resilience for the humor group. Conclusion: Our results indicate an additional benefit of this specific therapeutic intervention for older depressed patients.
An Investigation into the Effects of Humor and Laughter on Depressive Symptomology
2001
I would like to sincerely thank my mentor Dr. David Stein for his invaluable guidance on this project. His willingness to take time out of his busy schedule to provide support and help is greatly appreciated. Further, the contribution of his keen understanding of scientific methodology and his ability to effectively relay such understanding greatly enhanced the quality of the study. I would also like to thank Dr. Susan Crowley for her guidance throughout the study. Her support was manifested by her willingness to field questions in hallways, practicum supervision, unexpected office visits, or whatever other situation I may have found her. Moreover, her practical guidance was vital to the completion of this study. I am also thankful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Mary Doty. Her insightful feedback on drafts as well as her thoughtful consideration for the well-being of the study participants was a great benefit to the study. I would also like to thank my parents , Raymond and Debra Goodson , for their loving support and encouragement throughout this time of my life. Likewise, I would like to thank Lindsay Fuhriman for her patience and continual support. Finally, I would like to thank Derek Reinke , fellow graduate student and roommate, for his willingness to provide statistical consultations.
International journal of community based nursing and midwifery, 2015
Aging and its social-biological process naturally impair the functions of different body organs and cause progressive disabilities in managing personal affairs and performing social roles. Laughter therapy is an important strategy which has been recommended by experts for increasing health promotion in older adults. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of laughter therapy program on public health of senior citizens. In a randomized controlled trial, we enrolled 72 senior citizens aged 60 and over referring to Jahandidegan (Khold-e-Barin) retirement community center in Shiraz, southwest Iran during January to February 2014. The participants were assigned into experimental (N=36) and control (N=36) groups. Data were collected using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and demographic questionnaire. The participants of experimental group attended a laughter therapy program consisting of two 90-minute sessions per week lasting for 6 weeks. We found a statistically significant ...