• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.199-208
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• 2016

This study aims to examine the influence of laughter therapy program on successful aging and stress of elderly by applying 60 minutes of laughter therapy program twice a week for 10 weeks to elderly. By the selection standard, 25 subjects for experimental group at cultural center located in city S, 25 subjects each for comparative group and control group are convenience sampled at senior citizen center located in city S. The data analysis of this study utilized SPSS 19,0 to conduct Analysis of Covariate(ANCOVA). As for the result of conducting laughter therapy program for 10 weeks, the experimental group showed increased successful aging of elderly and reduced stress than the comparative or control group.Therefore, this study has prepared a ground to apply and verify the scientific basis of laughter therapy program in the current condition where various aging problems are emerging due to the aging society.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.72-80
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of subjective xerostomia and salivary pH in salivary glands stimulated by laughter therapy in frail elderly women. Methods: The research used a one-group pretest-posttest design. Data were collected from July 2, 2015 to September 30, 2015. A sample of 41 frail female elderly patients was recruited at A Nursing Home in K City, Korea. We measured xerostomia and salivary pH using a questionnaire and BCP test paper (pH 5.6~7.2). Laughter therapy was given once a week for four weeks (3 items). Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, paired t-test and Cronbach's using the SPSS 18.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in salivary pH according to oral health (t=-2.06, p<.05). There were significant differences in xerostomia (t=4.41, p<.001) and salivary pH (t=-7.94, p<.001) after salivary glands stimulated by laughter therapy. Conclusion: Salivary glands stimulated by laughter therapy improved xerostomia and salivary pH of the frail elderly. Therefore, salivary glands stimulated by laughter therapy may be useful in promoting and maintaining oral health among the frail elderly in the rapidly increasing population of old people.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2012

Purpose: The design of this study is a nonequivalent control group, non-synchronized quasi-experimental study. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of laughter therapy on pain and anxiety of patients with postmastectomy. Methods: The participants were 33 patients admitted for mastectomy in a college affiliated hospital (17 patients in experimental group and 16 patients in control group from November, 2008 to March, 2009). The registered nurse who were certified as the 1st degree laughter specialist implemented the intervention once a day for 30 minutes from the 2nd day to the 6th day after surgery when visited them. Date were analyzed using t, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated measures of ANOVA, paired t-test, or ANCOVA. Results: The level of pain was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Since the level of pain in all participants was reduced as time passed, the interaction effect between time and group existed. The level of anxiety was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Conclusion: Based on the results, the laughter therapy may be recommended as an useful intervention to effectively reduce the levels of pain and anxiety among patients with postmastectomy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.221-230
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was done to examine how laughter therapy impacts serotonin levels, QOL and depression in middle-aged women and to perform a path analysis for verification of the effects. Methods: A quasi-experimental study employing a nonequivalent control group and pre-post design was conducted. Participants were 64 middle-aged women (control=14 and experimental=50 in 3 groups according to level of depression). The intervention was conducted five times a week for a period of 2 weeks and the data analysis was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA, ANCOVA and LISREL. Results: Results showed that pre serotonin and QOL in women with severe depression were the lowest. Serotonin in the experimental groups increased after the 10th intervention (p=.006) and the rise was the highest in the group with severe depression (p=.001). Depression in all groups decreased after the 5th intervention (p=.022) and the biggest decline was observed in group with severe depression (p=.007). QOL of the moderate and severe groups increased after the 10th intervention (p=.049), and the increase rate was highest in group with severe depression (p<.006). Path analysis revealed that laughter therapy did not directly affect depression, but its effect was indirectly meditated through serotonin variation (p<.001). Conclusion: Results indicate that serotonin activation through laughter therapy can help middle-aged women by lessening depression and providing important grounds for depression control.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.501-508
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a laughter therapy on depression, of elderly. Methods: A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group pretest posttest design was used. Participants (n=38) included elders. Data were collected from October 1 to 22, 2013. Experimental group (n=19) participated in laughter therapy four times, once a week for 50 min per session. Questionnaires were used to measure pretest and posttest levels of depression. Results: At the end of four-week intervention, depression score (z=-2.59, p= .017) was significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to control group. Conclusion: The study results suggest that the laughter therapy is an effective intervention to reduce the depression. It seems that this program can widely be utilized as one of nursing intervention programs for the elderly.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.347-355
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• 2018

A convergence study was conducted to identify effect size, intervention characteristics, and tendency of laughter therapies on depression for Korean older adults. Of the 486 studies searched in 10 databases, 20 studies in the inclusion criteria were selected. The risk of bias was assessed by SIGN's tool, and the data were analyzed using CMA 3.0 software. Overall effect size of laughter therapy on depression of older adults was medium (standardized mean difference [SMD]=-0.57, 95% CI: -0.70~-0.44, p<.001), and heterogeneity was small ($I^2=18%$). Subgroup analysis showed that the effect sizes of institutionalized group, mixed group, 4-6 weeks of duration, and group intervention were higher than the compared groups. Findings of this convergent meta-analysis would be helpful for health professionals to provide more effective laugher therapy sessions. Further replicative studies in long-term care facilities and more randomized controlled trials of laughter therapy are needed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.289-297
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of laughter therapy program on stress and depression in nursing college students. The design of this study is nonequivalent control group, quasi-experimental study. Data were collected from December 5, 2014, to January 9, 2015, with 75 nursing sophomores (40 in experimental group and 35 in control group) in Chungnam and Jeonbuk Province in Korea, using self-reported questionnaires. The experimental group participated in laughter therapy program four times, once a week for 120min per session. The data were collected prior and after the intervention using self-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using t-test and $X^2-test$. The results of the study showed that the levels of stress (t=-2.32, p=0.02) and depression (t=-4.87, p<0.001) were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. Based on the results, the laughter therapy program may be recommended as an useful intervention to effectively reduce the levels of stress and depression in nursing college students and anticipated to be developed and published continuously.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.481-489
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• 2019

This study was conducted to identify the effect of laughter therapy on the moods, pain and stress of the patients in a hospice ward. Participants were divided as control (23 patients), and experimental group (26 patients). Laughter therapy was provided for 5 days, and 20-30 minutes per day. Data collected on the $3^{rd}$ and $8^{th}$ day, respectively, were analyzed using SPSS win 24.0 program, Chi-square test, fisher's exact test, Independent-test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Experimental groups showed the significant differences in Mood (t= -12.88, p<.001), Pain (t= -6.38, p<.001) and Stress (z= -6.03, p<.001). Conclusion: Laughter therapy was an effective nursing intervention to relieve the negative mood condition, pain and stress on patients, as one of the daily nursing services in the hospice ward.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.9
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• pp.291-299
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of laughter therapy on healthy life of human through meta-analysis of literature. Based on domestic and foreign academic databases, 495 foreign and 199 domestic literature were reviewed focusing on "quality of life," as the ultimate goal of health. The final seven literature were extracted. Analyses was performed in R version 3.5.1. Significant differences (SMD=0.23, p<0.01) were shown in the pre-post comparisons of experimental groups using the mean difference (effects size) analysis of the extracted samples. Significant results were not shown in meta regression analyses setting explanatory variables as 'treatment sessions and durations' and outcome variables as 'treatment effects of laughter therapy'. This study is meaningful in comparative analyses of pre-post experimental groups to establish 'laughter therapy' has a significant effect on improving 'quality of life' and is a useful intervention method, especially for older people, and older women with depression.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.205-217
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to understand the fundamental aspects of the laughter therapy using the Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological method. Participants of this study included twelve elderly people-four men and eight women-who agreed to participate in this study underwent laughter therapy at a senior citizen's center. Data were collected through focus interviews, a literary work, and a work of art. The essential themes of this study are a healthy life (restoration of health, refreshed feeling), a happy life (stress relief, put idle thoughts out of one's mind, vitality in daily routine, double pleasure through laughter, re-juvenescence with reminiscence), and a wishful life (became optimistic while leaving behind suffering, look forward to things). Healthy life was defined as experiencing the basic motive power of life, happy life was defined as experiencing delightfulness through relationships with others and empathy, and wishful life was defined as experiencing an affirmative life integration through overcoming suffering from losses. In conclusion, laughter therapy showed to improve health, personal relations and life integration for elderly people. Therefore, utilization of laughter therapy will help to improve independence and self-esteem in elderly people.