The Effects of Laughter Yoga on Happiness and Stress in Nursing Students Going into Clinical Practice for the First Time.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to examine the effect of laughter yoga on happiness and stress levels in nursing students entering clinical practice for the first time.
Results Summary
Laughter yoga significantly increased happiness scores (p < 0.05) and reduced stress scores in the intervention group (p = 0.001), though no significant difference in stress was found between groups post-intervention (p = 0.081).
Population
Nursing students in Turkey attending clinical practice for the first time.
Effective Dosage
Eight laughter yoga lessons over 4 weeks.
Duration
4 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
laughter yoga (LY) | increase | Happiness Scale's means | nursing students attending to clinical practice for the first-time | - | a significant increase | #1 |
laughter yoga (LY) | no change | stress scale scores | nursing students attending to clinical practice for the first-time | - | not a significant difference | #2 |
laughter yoga (LY) | decrease | stress scores | nursing students attending to clinical practice for the first-time | - | decreased significantly | #3 |
Background: There are numerous difficulties that nursing students must overcome in the nursing practice environment. This circumstance mainly impacts the happiness and stress levels of nursing students who lack clinical practice. Aim: In this study aimed to examine the effect of laughter yoga (LY) on nursing students' happiness and stress levels attending to clinical practice for the first-time. Method: In this randomized controlled trial, a totally 50 nursing students were included from a nursing school in Turkey. Data were collected between December 2022-January 2023 via The Happiness Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students. A total of eight LY lessons for 4 weeks were practiced to the laughter group (LG). Result: The Happiness Scale's means were compared between the groups before and after the intervention, and the results revealed a significant increase (p < 0.05). There was not a significant difference in the stress scale scores between both the groups following LG and clinical practice (t: -1.780; p = 0.081). However, the stress scores of the LG decreased significantly after the LY sessions were completed (b: 3.595; p = 0.001). Conclusion: LY can be an effective method to be used to help increase happiness and reduce the stress of nursing students for first-time entering clinical practice.