The effect of laughter therapy on sleep in community-dwelling elders with sleep disorders

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of laughter therapy on the quality and quantity of sleep in elders with sleep disorders. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study using a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design with 59 participants and included elders with sleep disorders, The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores of five or more points were: 29 in the experiment group and 30 in the control group. The experimental group participated in laughter therapy sixteen times, twice a week for 50 min per session for 8 weeks. Results: The results showed that laughter therapy was effective according to the PSQI (F=86.13, p