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The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Nurses' Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Burnout Levels

The Effectiveness of Online and Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga on Nurses' Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Burnout: A Three-Group Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06350747
Enrollment
40
Registered
2024-04-05
Start date
2024-04-01
Completion date
2025-03-10
Last updated
2025-05-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy Participants

Keywords

burnout level, laughter yoga, nurses, stress, sleep quality

Brief summary

The planned study aims to contribute to the existing literature by comparatively evaluating the effects of online and face-to-face laughter yoga interventions on nurses, focusing on stress, sleep quality, and burnout. In line with this purpose, the research hypotheses are as follows: H1. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their perceived stress levels. H2. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their sleep quality. H3. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their burnout levels. H4. There is a significant difference between the effects of online and face-to-face laughter yoga interventions.

Detailed description

This study investigated whether laughter yoga can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and prevent burnout among nurses. Nurses often work in challenging conditions with long shifts, which can negatively affect their mental and physical health. In this study, nurses were divided into three groups: one received face-to-face laughter yoga, another participated in laughter yoga online, and the third group did not receive any intervention. Laughter yoga sessions were conducted twice a week for two weeks and included deep breathing, playful activities, and laughter exercises. Participants completed surveys before and after the sessions to measure their stress levels, sleep quality, and signs of burnout. The results showed that nurses who participated in the online laughter yoga program experienced better sleep, felt less emotionally exhausted, and had a stronger sense of personal accomplishment. These benefits were not observed in the face-to-face or control groups. Interestingly, the program did not significantly reduce stress levels in any of the groups. This study suggests that online laughter yoga may be a useful and accessible tool to support the well-being of nurses, especially in healthcare settings where in-person wellness programs are difficult to organize.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALFace-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group

In this study, each laughter yoga session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes and consisted of four parts: hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises, playful games, and laughter exercises. According to Kataria (2011), the first three parts remained consistent across all sessions, while the laughter exercises in the fourth part varied (Kataria 2011). In the first session of each new group, participants were introduced to laughter yoga, its purpose, and objectives, with 10 minutes allocated to this introductory section. As a result, the first session for each group lasted 40 minutes, while the remaining sessions were 30 minutes each. The structure and duration of each session were as follows: * Section 1: Hand Clapping and Warm-up Exercises - 5 minutes * Section 2: Deep Breathing Exercises - 10 minutes * Section 3: Playful Games - 5 minutes * Section 4: Laughter Exercises - 10 minutes

BEHAVIORALOnline Laughter Yoga Group

In this study, each laughter yoga session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes and consisted of four parts: hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises, playful games, and laughter exercises. According to Kataria (2011), the first three parts remained consistent across all sessions, while the laughter exercises in the fourth part varied (Kataria 2011). In the first session of each new group, participants were introduced to laughter yoga, its purpose, and objectives, with 10 minutes allocated to this introductory section. As a result, the first session for each group lasted 40 minutes, while the remaining sessions were 30 minutes each. The structure and duration of each session were as follows: * Section 1: Hand Clapping and Warm-up Exercises - 5 minutes * Section 2: Deep Breathing Exercises - 10 minutes * Section 3: Playful Games - 5 minutes * Section 4: Laughter Exercises - 10 minutes

OTHERcontrol group

Participants in the control group will not receive the laughter yoga intervention. They will continue with their usual daily routines and will only complete pre- and post-test assessments.

Sponsors

Celal Bayar University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

pretest-posttest with control group

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* working as a nurse * over 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

* No uncontrolled hypertension * No history of abdominal surgery in the last three months * Not suffering from glaucoma, hernia or epilepsy * Not receiving psychiatric diagnosis and treatment * Not receiving sleep-related diagnosis and treatment * having incontinence

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Perceived Stress Scaletwo week and three week after interventionASQ is designed to measure how stressful some situations in a person's life are perceived. A total score of 0-32 is taken from the scale. It has two subscales: perceived stress (items 1, 2, 3, 7, 8) and perceived coping (items 4, 5, and 6). The scale is evaluated on both total score and subscale scores. A high total score means a high perceived stress level. High scores from the subscales are a negative situation.
Jenkins Sleep Scaletwo week and three week after interventionIt is used in clinical studies to evaluate patients' sleep problems. Patients are asked 4 questions about their sleep problems in the last month and asked to tick the boxes that apply to them. 0 (almost never), 1 (1-3 days per month), 2 (4-7 days per month), 3 (8-14 days per month), 4 (15-21 days per month), 5 (23-31 days per month) It is evaluated as . An increase in the score indicates that the person's sleep quality decreases.
Maslach Burnout Scaletwo week and three week after interventionThis measurement tool consists of a total of 22 items and three subscales. Among these subscales, the emotional exhaustion subscale consists of 9 items, the depersonalization subscale consists of 5 items, and the personal accomplishment subscale consists of a total of 8 items. Scale items are scored as 1: never and 7: always. It was decided to arrange the scale as a five-degree scale, with the answer options being 0 never and 4 always. The high level of burnout reflects the high score on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales and the low score on the personal accomplishment subscale. Moderate levels of burnout reflect moderate scores for all three subscales, while low levels reflect low scores on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales and high scores on the personal accomplishment subscale.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 31, 2026