Effects of Laughter Yoga in Mothers of PICU Patients

January 12, 2026 updated by: Sadiye Dur, Izmir Democracy University

Effects of Laughter Yoga on Psychological Resilience and Coping Attitudes in Mothers of Children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of laughter yoga on resilience and coping attitudes in mothers of children hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit. Mothers whose children had been hospitalized for at least one week were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention group participated in structured laughter yoga sessions lasting 15-20 minutes over 3-4 days, while the control group received routine care. Psychological resilience and coping attitudes were assessed using standardized measurement tools. The study aimed to provide evidence for a brief, non-pharmacological intervention to support maternal psychological well-being in PICU settings.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Having a child hospitalized in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a highly stressful experience for parents, particularly mothers, and is often associated with increased psychological distress, reduced resilience, and ineffective coping strategies. Despite the critical importance of supporting parental mental well-being in PICU settings, there is a lack of evidence-based, non-pharmacological interventions that simultaneously target resilience and coping attitudes.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of laughter yoga on resilience and coping attitudes in mothers of children in the pediatric intensive care unit.

A single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted with the mothers of children hospitalized in the PICU for at least one week. Mothers in the intervention group participated in structured laughter yoga sessions lasting 15-20 minutes over 3-4 days, while the control group received routine care only. Data were collected using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the Coping Attitudes Assessment Scale before and after the intervention.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

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 (Türkiye)
      • Izmir, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Buca Seyfi Demirsoy Training and Research Hospital

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Mothers aged 18 years or older
  • Ability to read and speak Turkish
  • Having a child hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for at least one week
  • Access to basic communication tools (telephone and/or internet)
  • No previous participation in laughter yoga or a similar intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of a clinically diagnosed severe psychiatric disorder
  • Having a child who was terminally ill or clinically unstable
  • Participation deemed inappropriate by the attending physician

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Laughter Yoga Group
Mothers in the intervention group participated in structured laughter yoga sessions lasting 15-20 minutes, conducted over a period of 3-4 days.
Behavioral: Laughter Yoga
Mothers in the intervention group participated in structured laughter yoga sessions lasting 15-20 minutes, conducted over a period of 3-4 days.
No Intervention: Control Group
The control group received routine care only.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale
Time Frame: Six months
The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) was originally developed by Connor and Davidson (2003), subsequently shortened to 10 items by Campbell-Sills and Stein (2007), and adapted to Turkish by Sarıçam (2010). The scale is scored using a five-point Likert-type format (0-4), with higher total scores indicating greater resilience. In the Turkish validity and reliability study, the scale was reported to have a single-factor structure with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.81. In the present study, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.79 for the pre-test and 0.80 for the post-test.
Six months
Coping Attitudes Assessment Scale
Time Frame: six months
The scale was originally developed by Carver et al. (1989) and adapted into Turkish by Dicle and Ersanlı (2015). The adapted version consists of 32 items and 5 subscales: Self-Help, Approach, Adaptation, Avoidance-Escape, and Self-Punishment. Items are rated on a four-point Likert-type scale, with higher total scores indicating more effective coping attitudes. In the Turkish validity and reliability study, the overall internal consistency coefficient was reported as 0.97, with Cronbach's alpha values for the subscales ranging from 0.96 to 0.99. In the present study, the overall internal consistency of the scale was 0.78 in the pre-test and 0.81 in the post-test, while Cronbach's alpha values for the subscales ranged between 0.79 and 0.82.
six months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Izmir Democracy University

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)

May 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

October 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 12, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IDU-NURSING-SD-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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