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NCT Number: NCT06344624

The Effect of Cognitive and Laughter Therapy on Psychological Symptoms in Nursing Students

The presence of high mental symptoms among nursing students in Turkey highlights the need to develop various support strategies in nursing education to preserve and ensure the continuity of the nursing workforce. This study aims to compare the effects of brief cognitive-behavioral group psychotherapy and laughter yoga on mental symptoms in nursing students with mental symptoms.

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Key information

Conditions

Mental Health Issue

Age range

18 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Turkey, Mersin University

Mersin, 33180, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

A randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design is planned to be conducted among 114 nursing students with mental symptoms between April and June 2024. The block randomization method will be used to assign students to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Group and the Laughter Group. Brief cognitive behavioral therapy (b-CBT) will be applied to one group, and laughter yoga will be applied to the other group twice a week for 3 weeks, with sessions lasting 60 minutes each. Data will be collected through the Brief Symptom Inventory, Psychological Resilience Scale, and Automatic Thoughts Scale. Measurements will be done at baseline, right after the sixth session ends, and four weeks later.

During the b-CBT process, techniques such as breath-body awareness and self-identification, coping techniques for emotional and physical symptoms of depression, recognizing the interaction between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, cognitive restructuring to replace dysfunctional thoughts and internal dialogues with functional ones, and future planning will be employed. Laughter yoga will consist of four parts: deep breathing exercises, warm-up exercises, playful activities, and laughter exercises.

The results obtained from the research will provide an opportunity to identify methods that may be effective in helping nurses acquire the necessary skills to improve their mental health.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Currently enrolled in the nursing faculty between April 10, 2024, and June 2, 2024.

  • Scored within the top 20% on the Brief Symptom Inventory for mental symptom scores.
  • Voluntarily agree to participate in the study and have signed the Informed Consent Form.
  • Understand and comprehend Turkish language

Exclusion criteria

  • Having received cognitive behavioral therapy previously.
  • Undergoing psychological or psychiatric treatment.
  • Underwent surgical procedures in the last three months.
  • Having chronic illnesses requiring regular medication use.
  • Having glaucoma or hernia conditions.

Treatment and study plan

CBT group

Behavioral

Brief cognitive behavioral therapy

Laughter group

Behavioral

Laughter yoga therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. The change in mental symptoms will be assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory.

    Time frame: Changing from at baseline (pretest- T0) and right after the end of the 6th season (post test- T1) and and 4 weeks later the end of the 6th season (T2).

    The scale consists of 53 Likert-type items. Items are scored on a scale of 0 to 4, corresponding to "not at all" and "very much," respectively. The higher the total score obtained from the scale, the more the individual's mental symptoms increase. It comprises nine subscales, three global indices, and additional items. The subscales are somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety disorder, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism, while additional items relate to eating disorders, sleep disturbances, thoughts of death and suicide, and feelings of guilt.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Psychological resilience will be assessed using the Psychological Resilience Scale.

    Time frame: Changing from at baseline (pretest- T0) and right after the end of the 6th season (post test- T1) and 4 weeks later the end of the 6th season (T2).

    The Psychological Resilience Scale (PRS) consists of six items that respondents self-report on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores correspond to higher psychological resilience levels. The scores for items 2, 4, and 6 are reversed. The response options on the Likert scale range from "not at all suitable" (1), "not suitable" (2), "somewhat suitable" (3), "suitable" (4), and "completely suitable" (5). With an internal consistency score of.83, the scale has a high Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

  2. Negative self-evaluations and thought patterns will be assessed using the Automatic Thoughts Scale.

    Time frame: Changing from at baseline (pretest- T0) and right after the end of the 6th season (post test- T1) and 4 weeks later the end of the 6th season (T2).

    This scale is designed to measure common thought patterns and negative self-evaluations often seen in depression. The scale is in Likert format and consists of 30 items. For each item, response options range from "never" (1), "rarely" (2), "occasionally" (3), "frequently" (4), and "always" (5). A higher score denotes a higher frequency of automatic thoughts linked to depression. The total score ranges from 30 to 150. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the scale is 0.95.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Mersin University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Comparing Brief Cognitive-behavioral Group Therapy and Laughter Yoga on Depression and Psychological Resilience in Nursing Students With Mental Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Apr 3, 2024
Registry last updated
Jun 13, 2024

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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