LaughterYogaStress

NCT07540039 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: KUSBFBK01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 88
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

It is important for students to develop effective coping behaviors to manage stress, as this contributes to the formation of a positive professional identity. Studies have shown that stress negatively affects student success (Chapman and Orb, 2001; Chan, So, and Fong, 2009). First-year nursing students may particularly experience difficulties in performing clinical practice for the first time and communicating with healthcare professionals (Ağaçdiken et al., 2016; Pryjmachuk and Richards, 2007). Self-efficacy is one of the key factors determining how individuals handle and cope with stressful situations, and it serves as a protective factor in stress management. Various methods are used to cope with stress. In the Traditional Medicine Strategy report published by the World Health Organization, yoga is identified as a complementary medicine practice (WHO, 2013b). Laughter yoga is an exercise program that combines unconditional laughter with breathing techniques and is considered a non-invasive and non-pharmacological intervention (Strean, 2009). It activates muscles through laughter-related movements, enhances blood circulation, and contributes to reducing stress hormone levels (Yim, 2016). Therefore, laughter yoga will be used in this study to help students cope with stress and improve their self-efficacy levels. This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial with an experimental and a control group, using a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design. The population of the study will consist of first-year nursing students at Kırıkkale University, Faculty of Health Sciences, during the 2024-2025 academic year. Data will be collected using an introductory characteristics form, the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students, the Bio-Psycho-Social Response Scale for Nursing Students, the Stress Coping Behaviors Scale for Nursing Students, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Data analysis will be conducted using SPSS for Windows 22. Descriptive statistics will be used for all variables. The chi-square test will be applied to compare sociodemographic characteristics between groups, and the independent samples t-test will be used to compare differences between two independent groups.

Conditions

Laughter Yoga; Perceived Stress; Self-Efficacy; Nursing Students

Keywords

Laughter Yoga; Perceived Stress; Self-Efficacy; Nursing Students

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Perceived Stress Level

  Perceived stress levels of nursing students will be assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale for Nursing Students. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and after the intervention (4th week). Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived stress.

  At baseline and post-intervention (Week 4)

• Biopsychosocial Response

  Biopsychosocial responses of nursing students will be evaluated using the Biopsychosocial Response Scale for Nursing Students. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and after the intervention (4th week). Higher scores indicate more negative biopsychosocial responses.

  At baseline and post-intervention (week 4)

• Coping with Stress

  Coping behaviors of nursing students will be assessed using the Coping with Stress Scale for Nursing Students. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and after the intervention (4th week). Higher scores indicate better coping with stress.

  At baseline and post-intervention (week 4 )

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Self-Efficacy Level

  At baseline and post-intervention (Week 4)

Study Arms (2)

experiment

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group received laughter yoga sessions twice a week for a total of four weeks.

Other: laughter yoga

Standard Education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

No application was made to the control group, standard procedure was followed.

Other: laughter yoga

Interventions

laughter yoga OTHER

Laughter yoga will be applied to nursing students to reduce stress levels and improve bio-psychosocial responses. The control group will receive traditional training.

Standard Education; experiment

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 17 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Being a first-year nursing student
• Enrolled in the Fundamentals of Nursing course for the first time
• Volunteering to participate in the study
• No history of psychiatric diagnosis

You may not qualify if:

• Previous education in any health-related field
• Prior enrollment in the Fundamentals of Nursing course
• History of psychiatric disorders
• Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypothyroidism, or hyperthyroidism
• Pregnancy
• History of malignancy
• Congestive heart failure
• Psychotic disorders
• Chronic liver or kidney failure
• Nephrotic syndrome
• Continuous medication use (e.g., ACE inhibitors, ARBs, phenytoin, barbiturates, oral contraceptives)
• Surgery within the last 3 months
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• Glaucoma, hernia, or epilepsy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kırıkkale University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Kırıkkale University Rectorate Ankara Road 7.Km 71450 Yahşihan/ KIRIKKALE

Kirikkale, Kırıkkale Yahşihan, 71450, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Laughter Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mind-Body Therapies; Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• BEYZA KALKAN KALKAN, license

  Kırıkkale University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• KALKAN

  Kırıkkale University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2025
• First Posted: April 20, 2026
• Study Start: February 27, 2025
• Primary Completion: April 10, 2025
• Study Completion: April 10, 2025
• Last Updated: April 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

TU (1)