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NCT Number: NCT05779371

Effects of the Integrated-based Laughing Qigong Program on Resilience in Community-dwelling Older Adults

Laughter programs are safe, affordable, and age-appropriate activities. Few studies have utilized mixed study designs to look at the impact on resilience in and experiences of participants in such activities.

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Key information

Conditions

Community-dwelling Older Adults

Age range

65 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences

Taipei, 112303, Taiwan

About this study

A high level of resilience can also help to mitigate the negative effects of stress and promote personal adaptation. According to a prior study, the resilience scale can be used to screen and identify maladaptive people before they cause problems, allowing for the development of preventive interventions (Wells, 2012). Some researchers have used cross talk and laughter therapy in patients with depression and reported that the negative symptoms of their mental health were alleviated (Yoshikawa et al., 2019), and laughter therapy for disabled adolescents improved their resilience (Shinde, & Kotekar, 2022). Another researcher discovered through interviews that older adults who laugh can maintain their personal health and age successfully (Lewis, 2021), but there is currently little research on how laughter affects the resilience of older adults.

Previous research applied laughter as a mental health-promoting activity, called the Laughter Qigong program, to promote mental health and generate positive effects on both physical and mental well-being (Hsieh et al., 2015). According to Kuru Alc, Zorba Bahceli, and Emirolu (2018), laughter intervention is risk-free, inexpensive, and beneficial for promoting the mental health of older adults. It has been used successfully with these people in long-term care facilities (Hsieh et al, 2015). The IB-LQP was administered twice weekly for four weeks to older adults living in institutions. It was discovered to have a positive impact on stress cortisol levels (Hsieh et al., 2015), as well as the ability to lessen death fear and enhance loneliness (Kuru Alc, Zorba Bahceli, & Emirolu, 2018). The research on laughter-based interventions for community senior citizens is still in its early stages, and more research is needed to fully understand how senior citizens participate in locally tailored activities.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

(1) age of ≧ 65 years, (2) ability to travel to the location of the activities on their own (independent or partially dependent people with daily activities), and (3) willingness to participate in this activity intervention

Exclusion criteria

(1) Severe hearing or sensory deficits that cause communication barriers, (2) diagnosis of depression, and (3) hospitalization plans in the next three months.

Treatment and study plan

Integrated-based Laughing Qigong Program

Behavioral

The protocol of the Integrated-based Laughing Qigong Program (IB-LQP) combined laughter intervention and mental health promotion courses. It was a two-hour community activity held twice a week for six weeks. The content was 50-60 minutes of a laughter practice program and 50 minutes of mental health lectures, separated by a 10-minute break.

Primary outcomes

  1. Chinese Version of the Resilience Scale

    Time frame: Pre-intervention(T0)

    The content of the Chinese version of the Resilience Scale includes five levels: a meaningful life, a peaceful mind, self-confidence, an indomitable spirit, and acceptance of the loneliness of existence. The highest score is 7 points (extremely satisfied), and the lowest score is 1 point (extremely dissatisfied). A higher score indicates greater resilience (Ahern, Kiehl, Sole, and Byers, 2006). Psychometric assessment of this scale has supported its internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity as good, and many studies have confirmed that the scale is applicable to samples of all ages and races (Ahern, Kiehl, Sole, Byers, 2006). The Cronbach's α for internal consistency in this study was .91.

  2. The Face Scale

    Time frame: Pre-intervention(T0)

    The face scale is a nonverbal emotion scale used to evaluate students' participation in courses (Lorish and Maisiak, 1986). It has seven faces, with number one representing the happiest and number seven representing the saddest. Before and after taking the " IB-LQP " course, the participants chose the facial scale that best represented their mood. This scale is appropriate for assessing emotions after older adults participate in activities and has high reliability (Hsieh et al., 2015).

  3. Chinese Version of the Resilience Scale

    Time frame: 6-week after intervention (T1)

    The content of the Chinese version of the Resilience Scale includes five levels: a meaningful life, a peaceful mind, self-confidence, an indomitable spirit, and acceptance of the loneliness of existence. The highest score is 7 points (extremely satisfied), and the lowest score is 1 point (extremely dissatisfied). A higher score indicates greater resilience (Ahern, Kiehl, Sole, and Byers, 2006). Psychometric assessment of this scale has supported its internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity as good, and many studies have confirmed that the scale is applicable to samples of all ages and races (Ahern, Kiehl, Sole, Byers, 2006). The Cronbach's α for internal consistency in this study was .91

  4. The Face Scale

    Time frame: 6-week after intervention (T1)

    The face scale is a nonverbal emotion scale used to evaluate students' participation in courses (Lorish and Maisiak, 1986). It has seven faces, with number one representing the happiest and number seven representing the saddest. Before and after taking the " IB-LQP " course, the participants chose the facial scale that best represented their mood. This scale is appropriate for assessing emotions after older adults participate in activities and has high reliability (Hsieh et al., 2015).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of the Integrated-based Laughing Qigong Program on Resilience in Community-dwelling Older Adults: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2021
First posted
Mar 22, 2023
Registry last updated
Mar 22, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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