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

NCT ID: NCT06350747

Last Updated: 2025-05-20

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-04-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-03-10

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.

Conditions

Healthy Participants

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Control Group

Participants in this group did not receive any intervention during the study period. They only completed the pre- and post-intervention assessments. After study completion, they were offered a single optional laughter yoga session.

Group Type: OTHER

control group

Intervention Type: OTHER

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.

Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group

Participants in this group attended four sessions of laughter yoga conducted in person by certified instructors. Sessions lasted approximately 40 minutes and were held twice a week for two weeks in groups of 5-6 nurses.This intervention included hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing, playful games, and laughter exercises. Delivered in-person, each session lasted 30-40 minutes and followed a standardized format developed by Dr. Madan Kataria.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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

Online Laughter Yoga Group

Participants in this group received the same laughter yoga intervention as the face-to-face group, but it was delivered online via Zoom. Sessions were held in the evening hours twice a week over two weeks.This intervention followed the same structure as the face-to-face program, including clapping, breathing, and laughter exercises. Sessions were conducted in real time via Zoom by certified laughter yoga instructors.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Online Laughter Yoga Group

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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

Interventions

Face-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

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Online 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

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

control 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.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Celal Bayar University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Özge Topsakal

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Özge TOPSAKAL

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Manisa Celal Bayar University

Locations

Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Hafsa Sultan Hastanesi

Manisa, , Turkey (Türkiye)

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Other Identifiers

CelalBayarU-SBF-OT-02

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id