| The Influence of One-Time Laughter Therapy on Stress Response in the Elderly |
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Young-Sun Kim1, Seong-Sook Jun2 |
1Part-time Lecturer, College of Nursing. Pusan National University
2Professor, College of Nursing. Pusan National University |
| 노인에 대한 일회성 웃음요법이 스트레스 반응에 미치는 영향 |
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김영선1, 전성숙2 |
1부산대학교 간호대학 시간강사
2부산대학교 간호대학 교수 |
Correspondence:
Young-Sun Kim, Tel: 82-51-510-8307, Fax: 82-51-510-8108,
Email: yskim0821@hanmail.net
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Received: 29 June 2009 • Revised: 6 September 2009 • Accepted: 15 September 2009 |
| Abstract |
Purpose
This study was to evaluate the effects of a one-time laughter therapy in elderly and to suggest that the practice is an effective nursing intervention to reduce the stress and reinforce immunity in the elderly.
Methods
The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Laughter therapy was used as the experimental treatment from September 6,2005 until September 7,2005. Forty-eight subjects inGdty participated in this study. The 48 research subjects were assigned to an experimental (23 elderly) or control (25 elderly) group. Laughter therapy was administered one time for one day on the experimental group. In order to evaluate the effects of the laughter therapy, parameters of psychological stressful response (anxiety, depression, mood), physiologic stressful response (blood pressure, pulse, cortisol) and immunological stressful response (blood NK cell population, blood IgG) were measured before and after the treatment.
Results
There was a significant change in the level of mood, systolic blood pressure, and cortisol but not blood NK cell population, or blood IgG.
Conclusion
The results proved that laughter therapy is an effective nursing intervention to decrease systolic blood pressure, and cortisol levels and to inaease mood. |
| Key Words:
Laughter therapy; Stress response; Elderly |
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