Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06350747

The Effect of Laughter Yoga on Nurses' Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Burnout Levels

The planned study aims to contribute to the existing literature by comparatively evaluating the effects of online and face-to-face laughter yoga interventions on nurses, focusing on stress, sleep quality, and burnout. In line with this purpose, the research hypotheses are as follows:

H1. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their perceived stress levels.

H2. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their sleep quality.

H3. Laughter yoga intervention provided to nurses has a positive effect on their burnout levels.

H4. There is a significant difference between the effects of online and face-to-face laughter yoga interventions.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy Participants Dyssomnias Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders Sleep Wake Disorders

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Hafsa Sultan Hastanesi

Manisa, 45060, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

This study investigated whether laughter yoga can help reduce stress, improve sleep, and prevent burnout among nurses. Nurses often work in challenging conditions with long shifts, which can negatively affect their mental and physical health. In this study, nurses were divided into three groups: one received face-to-face laughter yoga, another participated in laughter yoga online, and the third group did not receive any intervention.

Laughter yoga sessions were conducted twice a week for two weeks and included deep breathing, playful activities, and laughter exercises. Participants completed surveys before and after the sessions to measure their stress levels, sleep quality, and signs of burnout.

The results showed that nurses who participated in the online laughter yoga program experienced better sleep, felt less emotionally exhausted, and had a stronger sense of personal accomplishment. These benefits were not observed in the face-to-face or control groups. Interestingly, the program did not significantly reduce stress levels in any of the groups.

This study suggests that online laughter yoga may be a useful and accessible tool to support the well-being of nurses, especially in healthcare settings where in-person wellness programs are difficult to organize.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • working as a nurse
  • over 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

  • No uncontrolled hypertension
  • No history of abdominal surgery in the last three months
  • Not suffering from glaucoma, hernia or epilepsy
  • Not receiving psychiatric diagnosis and treatment
  • Not receiving sleep-related diagnosis and treatment
  • having incontinence

Treatment and study plan

Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga Group

Behavioral

In this study, each laughter yoga session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes and consisted of four parts: hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises, playful games, and laughter exercises. According to Kataria (2011), the first three parts remained consistent across all sessions, while the laughter exercises in the fourth part varied (Kataria 2011). In the first session of each new group, participants were introduced to laughter yoga, its purpose, and objectives, with 10 minutes allocated to this introductory section. As a result, the first session for each group lasted 40 minutes, while the remaining sessions were 30 minutes each. The structure and duration of each session were as follows:

  • Section 1: Hand Clapping and Warm-up Exercises - 5 minutes
  • Section 2: Deep Breathing Exercises - 10 minutes
  • Section 3: Playful Games - 5 minutes
  • Section 4: Laughter Exercises - 10 minutes

Online Laughter Yoga Group

Behavioral

In this study, each laughter yoga session lasted approximately 30-40 minutes and consisted of four parts: hand clapping and warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises, playful games, and laughter exercises. According to Kataria (2011), the first three parts remained consistent across all sessions, while the laughter exercises in the fourth part varied (Kataria 2011). In the first session of each new group, participants were introduced to laughter yoga, its purpose, and objectives, with 10 minutes allocated to this introductory section. As a result, the first session for each group lasted 40 minutes, while the remaining sessions were 30 minutes each. The structure and duration of each session were as follows:

  • Section 1: Hand Clapping and Warm-up Exercises - 5 minutes
  • Section 2: Deep Breathing Exercises - 10 minutes
  • Section 3: Playful Games - 5 minutes
  • Section 4: Laughter Exercises - 10 minutes

Control Group

Other

Participants in the control group will not receive the laughter yoga intervention. They will continue with their usual daily routines and will only complete pre- and post-test assessments.

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceived Stress Scale

    Time frame: two week and three week after intervention

    ASQ is designed to measure how stressful some situations in a person's life are perceived. A total score of 0-32 is taken from the scale. It has two subscales: perceived stress (items 1, 2, 3, 7, 8) and perceived coping (items 4, 5, and 6). The scale is evaluated on both total score and subscale scores. A high total score means a high perceived stress level. High scores from the subscales are a negative situation.

  2. Jenkins Sleep Scale

    Time frame: two week and three week after intervention

    It is used in clinical studies to evaluate patients' sleep problems. Patients are asked 4 questions about their sleep problems in the last month and asked to tick the boxes that apply to them. 0 (almost never), 1 (1-3 days per month), 2 (4-7 days per month), 3 (8-14 days per month), 4 (15-21 days per month), 5 (23-31 days per month) It is evaluated as . An increase in the score indicates that the person's sleep quality decreases.

  3. Maslach Burnout Scale

    Time frame: two week and three week after intervention

    This measurement tool consists of a total of 22 items and three subscales. Among these subscales, the emotional exhaustion subscale consists of 9 items, the depersonalization subscale consists of 5 items, and the personal accomplishment subscale consists of a total of 8 items. Scale items are scored as "1: never" and "7: always". It was decided to arrange the scale as a five-degree scale, with the answer options being "0 never" and "4 always". The high level of burnout reflects the high score on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales and the low score on the personal accomplishment subscale. Moderate levels of burnout reflect moderate scores for all three subscales, while low levels reflect low scores on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales and high scores on the "personal accomplishment" subscale.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Manisa Celal Bayar University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effectiveness of Online and Face-to-Face Laughter Yoga on Nurses' Perceived Stress, Sleep Quality, and Burnout: A Three-Group Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Apr 5, 2024
Registry last updated
May 20, 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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.