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NCT Number: NCT06917417

The Effect of Laughter Therapy on Marital Adjustment, Life Satisfaction and Maternal Attachment Level in Mothers

The postnatal period is a fragile period with physical and psychological changes as well as hormonal changes in the mother. Mind-body based complementary practices such as yoga, meditation, relaxation exercises can be used to improve well-being and facilitate adaptation to the changes experienced during this period. Among these practices, laughter yoga is new, simple, cost-effective, non-invasive, widely available online and easily applicable/accessible. In studies, individuals in different populations from children to the elderly have proven that laughter therapy interventions cause improvement in mood and life satisfaction. Looking at the literature, studies on laughter therapy in Turkey are limited and no study has been found on this subject. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effect of laughter therapy given to mothers in the postnatal period on partner adjustment, life satisfaction and maternal attachment level in mothers. It is thought that this study will make a very important contribution to the literature.

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Key information

Conditions

Postpartum Behavior Mothers Personal Satisfaction

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine Hospital

Konya, Selçuklu, 42250, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Havva Tokgöz Kekeç

CONTACT

[email protected]

05061550317

Havva Tokgöz Kekeç, master's degree midwife

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

The postnatal period is a fragile period with physical and psychological changes as well as hormonal changes in the mother. In the transition to parenthood in the postnatal period, expectant parents experience changes that have important effects on the couple's relationship, the baby-parent relationship and the development of the baby. The positive relationship and harmony of the spouses are important in raising a child. Maternal attachment starts in the prenatal period and reaches the highest level in the postnatal period. It is known that inadequate maternal attachment to the baby poses a threat to the healthy development and well-being of the baby. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the psycho-social welfare of the mother in the postnatal period, to evaluate the level of mother-infant attachment and to make effective midwifery interventions.

Studies in the literature have documented the positive role of laughter in improving quality of life. In addition, it was determined that laughter therapy intervention during pregnancy increased the mental well-being of pregnant women and positively affected prenatal attachment levels. Laughter therapy can be used for both preventive and therapeutic purposes. Poor mental health of the mother poses a danger to the baby and the mother. Studies on laughter therapy are limited in Turkey. In order to increase evidence-based data, there is a need to investigate the potential effectiveness of laughter therapy interventions in terms of mothers' health. It is thought that this study will make a very important contribution to the literature.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • At least primary school graduate
  • Over 18 years of age
  • Volunteer to participate in the research
  • Heterosexual
  • With a spouse or partner
  • At term
  • With a single, healthy baby
  • Have not had any intra-abdominal surgery
  • With a 1-12 month postpartum baby
  • Women who can use the Zoom program

Exclusion criteria

  • Those who do not speak Turkish,
  • Those with hearing and visual impairments,
  • Those with mental disabilities,
  • Those diagnosed with known psychiatric diseases,
  • Mothers of babies with disabilities and chronic health problems
  • Women with physical illnesses that prevent them from participating in Laughter Yoga sessions (breathing difficulties, persistent cough, vertigo, severe heart disease, hemorrhoids, any type of hernia such as neck, waist or inguinal hernia, severe back pain, urinary incontinence, epilepsy, etc.)
  • Women who develop an acute health problem for themselves or their babies, who have had their mothers or babies suddenly hospitalized, who have lost their babies, who have separated from their spouses or partners, who do not attend laughter therapy sessions regularly, and who cannot be reached after the application will be excluded from the study.

Treatment and study plan

Laughter Therapy

Behavioral

A laughter yoga session; It is approximately 30 minutes and consists of four parts. These sections; hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises, childish games and laughter exercises. In each laughter yoga session, the first three parts are the same, but the laughter exercises in the fourth part vary. In the first session of each new group, the introduction of laughter yoga, its purpose and objectives will be discussed. 10 minutes will be allocated for this section in the first session of each group. Therefore, the first session is planned to be 40 minutes in each group and all subsequent sessions are planned to be 30 minutes.

Primary outcomes

  1. Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale

    Time frame: 1st Time: Day 1, 2nd Time: Day 45, 3rd Time: Day 75

    RDAS is the final 14-item form of the 32-item DAS, developed by Spanier (1976), and revised by Busby et al. (1995). Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Gündoğdu Psychometric evaluations of the scale in the Northern Cyprus sample were re-conducted by Bayraktaroğlu and Çakıcı. The scale was developed to assess the quality of relationships between couples who are married or in a marriage-like relationship. This questionnaire includes three subscales that are consensus (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), satisfaction (items 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13), and conflict (items 8, 10, and 14). The scale is 5-point Likert type and coded as 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, and 5 = Always. Items 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the scale are reverse scored. Scores on the RDAS range from 0 to 70 with higher scores indicating greater relationship satisfaction and lower scores indicating greater relationship distress.

  2. Life Satisfaction Scale

    Time frame: 1st Time: Day 1, 2nd Time: Day 45, 3rd Time: Day 75

    It is a self-assessment scale developed by Diener et al. The scale consists of five items and is unidimensional. The scale has a Likert-type rating scale with options from 1 to 7 ranging from 'not at all appropriate' to 'very appropriate'. The scale was translated and adapted into Turkish by Köker. The highest score that can be obtained from the Life Satisfaction Scale is 35 and the lowest score is 5. A high score on the scale indicates a high degree of satisfaction and a low score indicates a low degree of satisfaction.

  3. Maternal Attachment Inventory

    Time frame: 1st Time: Day 1, 2nd Time: Day 45, 3rd Time: Day 75

    Maternal Attachment ınventory was originally developed by Mary E. Muller in 1994 for the assessment of maternal attachment. The validity and reliability of the Turkish form was done by Kavlak and Şirin (2009). The scale has no sub-dimensions. Maternal attachment inventory, an indicator of and measuring affection, is a self-administered scale and can only be administered to literate women who can read and write and understand what they read. Each item is in a 4-point Likert type ranging from "always" to "never." Each item contains statements and points, showing a = 4 (always), b = 3 (often), c = 2 (sometimes), and d = 1 (never). An overall score is obtained from the sum of all items. A high score indicates a high level of maternal attachment. The lowest score to be obtained from the scale is 26, while the highest score is 104. The scale has no cutoff score. The Maternal Attachment Scale is administered to mothers who have a baby of at least 1-month old. It is not applied to pregnant wo

  4. Personal Information Form

    Time frame: 1st time: Day 1

    Personal Information Form It consists of 16 questions developed by the researcher as a result of literature reviews. It consists of 11 questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of the mothers (age, education level, income status, presence of social security, etc.) and 5 questions about obstetric characteristics (number of pregnancies, parity status, etc.).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Hacer ALAN DİKMEN, (Associate Professor)

CONTACT

[email protected]

+905449491300

Havva Tokgöz Kekeç, PhD Student

CONTACT

[email protected]

+905061550317

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Selcuk University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Laughter Therapy Given to Mothers in the Postpartum Period on Marital Adjustment, Life Satisfaction and Maternal Bonding Levels in Mothers; A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Apr 8, 2025
Registry last updated
Apr 8, 2025

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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