Laughter Yoga in Midwifery Students

Primary outcomes

1. General Health Questionnaire

   Time frame: At the time of study enrollment (baseline)

   The original version of the questionnaire, developed by David Goldberg in 1978, consists of 60 items and is used to determine the level of general psychopathology and to identify psychiatric cases in community surveys. All adaptations show high correlations with each other. .In this study, the GHQ-12, consisting of 12 items, was used. Each item asks about symptoms experienced over the past few weeks and has four response options: "not at all," "no more than usual," "rather more than usual," and "much more than usual." These four options are coded as 0 for "not at all," 1 for "no more than usual," 2 for "rather more than usual," and 3 for "much more than usual," or the administrator reads each item aloud and records the participant's response. In this study, the GHQ-type scoring used in Kılıç's (1996) validity and reliability study was applied. Therefore, participants with a GHQ-12 total score of 2 or higher are considered "cases requiring mental health assessment.

2. Student Information Form

   Time frame: At the time of study enrollment (baseline)

   Prepared by the researchers based on the literature, it includes questions such as age, parents' educational level, and voluntarily choosing the midwifery program.

3. Subjective Well-Being Scale

   Time frame: At baseline (pre-test), immediately after the intervention (post-test), and at 1-month follow-up

   Developed by Tuzgöl-Dost (2005), the scale aims to determine individuals' levels of subjective well-being by assessing their cognitive evaluations of life and the frequency and intensity of positive and negative emotions experienced. The scale consists of 46 items, 26 of which are positive and 20 negative statements. Negative items are reverse-scored. The total score ranges from 46 to 230, with higher scores indicating higher levels of subjective well-being. The scale uses a five-point Likert format: (5) Completely Agree, (4) Mostly Agree, (3) Partially Agree, (2) Slightly Agree, and (1) Strongly Disagree. To assess reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the test-retest method were used. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was found to be 0.93, and the test-retest reliability for the entire scale was 0.86. For validity, confirmatory factor analysis showed factor loadings between 0.32 and 0.63.

4. Psychological Well-Being Scale

   Time frame: At baseline (pre-test), immediately after the intervention (post-test), and at 1-month follow-up

   The Psychological Well-Being Scale was developed by Diener and colleagues (2009-2010) to complement existing well-being measures and to assess socio-psychological well-being. The Turkish adaptation of the scale was conducted by Telef (2011; 2013).

   Items on the Psychological Well-Being Scale are rated on a 7-point Likert scale, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). All items are positively worded. Total scores range from 8 (if a respondent answers "strongly disagree" to all items) to 56 (if a respondent answers "strongly agree" to all items). Higher scores indicate that the individual possesses multiple psychological resources and strengths.

5. The Short Version of the Scales of General Well-Being

   Time frame: At baseline (pre-test), immediately after the intervention (post-test), and at 1-month follow-up

   The Short Version of the Scales of General Well-Being (SVSGW) was developed by Longo, Coyne, and Joseph. The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of this scale were established by Kalafatoğlu and Balcı Çelik. The scale is a single-factor instrument consisting of 13 items rated on a five-point Likert scale. The minimum possible score on the scale is 13 and the maximum score is 65. Higher scores indicate a higher level of general well-being. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the original scale was reported as 0.90.