Clinical trial NCT07015372: The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Stress, Burnout, and General Health in Psychiatric Nurses
Official title: The Effect of Laughter Yoga on General Health Status, Perceived Stress Level, and Burnout in Psychiatric Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Burnout
Perceived Stress
Occupational Stress
General Health
Psychiatric Nursing
Keywords: Laughter Yoga
Maslach Burnout Inventory
PSS-10
GHQ-28
Psychiatric Nurses
Nursing Interventions
Mental Health Promotion
Complementary Therapies
Burnout Prevention
Stress Reduction
Workplace Wellness
Lead sponsor: Bezmialem Vakif University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-06-11
Enrollment: 70
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants were randomly assigned to two parallel groups: an experimental group receiving a structured laughter yoga program, and a control group receiving no intervention during the study period.
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: This study aims to examine the effects of laughter yoga on general health, perceived stress, and burnout among psychiatric nurses. Nurses working in psychiatric units are often exposed to high levels of occupational stress, which may impact their well-being and job performance. This trial was designed to evaluate the potential benefits of laughter yoga as a supportive intervention in this context.

Detailed description: Psychiatric nurses frequently face emotionally intense situations, aggressive patient behaviors, and heavy workloads. These factors are known to contribute to elevated stress levels and burnout.

This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial at a psychiatric hospital located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Türkiye. A total of 70 psychiatric nurses voluntarily participated and were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group (n=35 per group).

The experimental group received an eight-session laughter yoga program, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Sessions were held face-to-face in small groups and facilitated by a trained laughter yoga instructor. Each session included four components: warm-up and clapping exercises, deep breathing, childlike playfulness, and structured laughter activities. The control group received no intervention during the study period.

Data were collected before and after the intervention using the following validated tools:

Nurse Demographic Information Form

Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)

General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28)

The study was approved by the relevant ethics committee, and all participants provided informed consent prior to enrollment.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Being a psychiatric nurse at the specified hospital
* Volunteering to participate
* Not receiving psychiatric treatment currently

Exclusion Criteria:

* Chronic physical illnesses that could interfere
* Inability to attend all sessions

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) Total Score
timeFrame: Baseline and after 4 weeks (post-intervention)
measure: Change in Perceived Stress Level (PSS-10 Total Score)
timeFrame: Baseline and Week 4 (post-intervention)
measure: Change in General Health Status (GHQ-28 Total Score)
timeFrame: Baseline and Week 4 (post-intervention)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Istanbul
country: Turkey
facility: Erenköy Ruh ve Sinir Hastalıkları Hastanesi
Study officials:
affiliation: Bezmialem Vakıf Üniversitesi
name: Ayşe V Dost
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: