Effects of Laughter Therapy on Respiratory Functions and Geriatric Pain in Elderly Individuals

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of laughter therapy on respiratory functions and geriatric pain in elderly individuals.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Pain; Elderly; Respiratory Function
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Laughter Therapy

Detailed Description

Structural and functional changes occur with aging and are seen as a decrease in body functions. One of the body systems of aging is the respiratory system capacity. Aging causes the lung tissue to lose elasticity, the respiratory muscles to weaken, and the gas exchange to not be carried out effectively, causing a decrease in respiratory capacity. Therefore, it causes shortness of breath in individuals, an increase in the risk of climate change, and a decrease in the quality of life. Changes in body systems also cause chronic pain in the elderly. Pain-related loss of strength, functional losses, and multiple drug use are observed. Complementary treatment methods can be used against these changes caused by aging, to reduce the problems of old age and for healthy aging. The aim of these therapies is to increase the respiratory capacity of the elderly and the intensity of geriatric pain.

The universe of the study consists of individuals who are members of a Retirement Club affiliated to Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and who do not have any visual, auditory, mental or orthopedic disabilities, aged 60 and over and who agreed to participate in the study. 64 individuals who meet the inclusion criteria constitute the sample of this study. The sample will be randomly selected from the true random number selector (https://www.random.org/) website. Random selections will be planned as a sequential intervention and a control group, respectively. Selection will continue until the sample size is completed. As part of the pre-test, an introductory information form, Respiratory Function Test, oxygen saturation measurement with pulse oximeter, respiration count and Geriatric Pain Scale will be applied to the individuals in the intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive 8 sessions of laughter therapy twice a week for 4 weeks. No intervention will be applied to the control group. As part of the post-test, the intervention and control groups will be applied; Respiratory Function Test, oxygen saturation measurement with pulse oximetry, respiratory count and Geriatric Pain Scale will be applied. Research data will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 program.

Laughter therapy is a complementary medicine technique that combines laughter for no reason and breathing exercises. Laughter therapy is a free, accessible, effective and enjoyable intervention for individuals. Laughter therapy has been accepted as a nursing intervention in the Nursing Intervention Classification at the international level. Laughter therapy increases lung capacity and ensures effective gas exchange thanks to the breathing exercises it contains. It is thought that laughter therapy, which includes breathing exercises, can also provide positive developments in respiratory parameters. Laughter therapy is thought to be an effective intervention in improving respiratory functions and reducing pain.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 64
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Ankara
    • Ankara, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06230
      • Ankara University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Members of the Dikmen Retirees' Club, who do not accept to leave, are 60 years of age or older, have any work, visual, mental or orthopedic disability that would prevent them from participating in the sections, including those who smoke and use alcohol.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Being under 60 years of age and having conditions that prevent the application of laughter therapy (having had abdominal surgery in the last three months, glaucoma, hernia and epilepsy), smoking and drinking alcohol.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control Group; A pulmonary function test and a geriatric pain scale were administered to this group. No intervention was made. A pulmonary function test and a geriatric pain scale were administered again one month later.
Experimental: Laughter Therapy; A pulmonary function test and a geriatric pain scale were administered to this group and this group received laughter therapy 8 times in total, twice a week for 1 month. Respiratory function test and geriatric pain scale were applied before the intervention.	Behavioral: Laughter Therapy; A laughter therapy session lasts 45-50 minutes. It includes 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 15 minutes of breathing exercises, and 15 minutes of laughter exercises. It concludes with a 5-10-minute meditation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Geriatric Pain Scale	The original scale, called the Geriatric Pain Measure, is a twenty-four-item multidimensional scale developed by Ferrell and colleagues in 2000. The scale adapted for Turkish has five dimensions, as in the original. It includes subscales for pain withdrawal (items 19, 20, 22, and 23), pain intensity (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), pain with movement (items 9, 10, 11, and 12), pain due to strenuous activities (items 7, 8, 18, 21, and 24), and pain due to other activities (items 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17). The scale includes two open-ended questions (items 19 and 20). These questions are scored from 0 to 10. For the other 22 items, each "Yes" response is summed and multiplied by 2.38. The total possible score ranges from 0 to 100. A score between 0 and 29 indicates mild pain, a score between 30 and 69 indicates moderate pain, and a score of 70 or above indicates severe pain. The total Cronbach's alpha value for the scale is 0.85.	4 weeks
Forced Vital Capasity: FVC	Mean Change from Baseline in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) at Week 4. FVC is the total amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible. It will be used to assess the improvement or stabilization of total lung volume. Unit of Measure: Liters (L)	4 weeks
Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second: FEV1	Mean Change from Baseline in Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second at week 4. The absolute volume of air exhaled during the first second of the forced vital capacity maneuver. The highest value from three acceptable maneuvers will be recorded in liters (L).	4 weeks
FEV1/FVC Ratio	Mean Change from Baseline in FEV1/FVC Ratio at Week 4. This ratio (Tiffeneau-Pinelli index) represents the percentage of vital capacity a person can deliver in the first second of a forced exhalation. It is used to differentiate obstructive and restrictive lung patterns. Unit of Measurement: Percentile	4 weeks
Peak Expiratory Flow: PEF	Mean Change from Baseline in Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) at Week 4. PEF measures the maximum exhalation rate. Unit of Measurement: Liters/minute (L/min)	4 weeks
Forced Expiratory Flow: FEF 25-75	Change from Baseline in Forced Expiratory Flow Between 25% and 75% of Vital Capacity (FEF 25-75%) at Week 4. This measure reflects the flow rate during the middle half of the FVC maneuver and is a sensitive indicator of small airway function. Unit of Measure: Liters per second (L/sec)	4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Oxygen Saturation	Mean Change from Baseline in Oxygen Saturation at Week 4 Oxygen saturation indicates the oxygenation level of the blood.	4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ankara University
• Investigators: Study Director: Fatma Özlem Öztürk, ASSOCİATE PROFESSOR, Ankara University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 6, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 16, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 24, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 13, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 13, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Elderly; Pain; Laughter Therapy; Respiratory Function
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Pathologic Processes; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Respiratory Aspiration; Therapeutics; Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Laughter Therapy
• Other Study ID Numbers: AnkaraU-Nrs-NA-01; TYL-2025-4407 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Ankara University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data will be made available upon request.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be available beginning 6 months after publication of the study results and for a period of 5 years.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Researchers must provide a formal request and a statistically sound proposal to access the data. Requests will be reviewed by the principal investigator.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No