The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Stress, Burnout, and General Health in Psychiatric Nurses

June 8, 2025 updated by: Ayşe DOST, Bezmialem Vakif University

The Effect of Laughter Yoga on General Health Status, Perceived Stress Level, and Burnout in Psychiatric Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

70

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey
      • Istanbul, Turkey
        • Erenköy Ruh ve Sinir Hastalıkları Hastanesi

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental: Laughter Yoga
Participants in this group received a structured laughter yoga program consisting of 8 sessions over approximately four weeks. Each session lasted about 30 minutes and included clapping, breathing exercises, playful activities, and laughter exercises. Sessions were delivered face-to-face in small groups.
Behavioral: Laughter Yoga
Laughter yoga intervention including clapping, breathing, childlike play, and laughter exercises, delivered in 8 sessions over 4 weeks to reduce stress and burnout and improve general health among psychiatric nurses.
No Intervention: Control: No Intervention
Participants in this group did not receive any intervention during the study period. They continued their usual routines and duties. The same pre- and post-test assessments were applied as in the experimental group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline and after 4 weeks (post-intervention)
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is used to assess burnout levels among psychiatric nurses. Scores range from low to high burnout. A decrease in score indicates reduced burnout. The scale has three subscales: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
Baseline and after 4 weeks (post-intervention)
Change in Perceived Stress Level (PSS-10 Total Score)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 4 (post-intervention)
Perceived stress is measured using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. A decrease in score reflects improvement.
Baseline and Week 4 (post-intervention)
Change in General Health Status (GHQ-28 Total Score)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 4 (post-intervention)
General health is evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), which includes somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression subscales. Total scores range from 0 to 28, with lower scores indicating better general health status.
Baseline and Week 4 (post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bezmialem Vakif University

Investigators

  • Study Director: Ayşe V Dost, Bezmialem Vakıf Universitesi

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 5, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

June 11, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 11, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2025

Last Verified

June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2023_Dost_LaughterYoga

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared because the dataset is currently being used for the preparation of a scientific publication. Data sharing may be considered after the publication process is complete, upon reasonable request and with appropriate approvals.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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