Clinical trial NCT06722872: The Effect of Laughter Therapy on the Mental Health of Elderly Living in a Nursing Home
Official title: Effect of Laughter Therapy on Psychological Well-being, Life Satisfaction and Mental Health of the Elderly Living in a Nursing Home
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Laughter
Mental Health Issue
Life Satisfaction
Well-Being, Psychological
Elderly
Keywords: Laughter therapy
Old age
Psychological well-being
Life satisfaction
Mental health
Lead sponsor: Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-12-09
Enrollment: 69
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Maximum age (years): 105
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Two groups with experimental and control groups
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Brief summary: 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.

Detailed description: 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.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 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

Exclusion Criteria:

* 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Psychological Well-Being Scale for Older Adults
timeFrame: Pre-test, Post-test (6th week), Follow-up Test (4th week)
measure: Life Satisfaction Scale for Older Adults
timeFrame: Pre-test, Post-test (6th week), Follow-up Test (4th week)
measure: Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21)
timeFrame: Pre-test, Post-test (6th week), Follow-up Test (4th week)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Istanbul
country: Turkey
facility: KASEV Huzurevi
state: Tuzla
Study officials:
References: