Effects of Online Laughter Yoga and Psychoeducation on Perceived Stress and Career Anxiety in Nursing Students

NCT07785713 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 203
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

.This randomized controlled study evaluated the effects of online laughter yoga and a structured psychoeducational program on perceived stress and career anxiety among nursing students undertaking clinical placements. The study employed a three-arm, randomized, controlled pre-test-post-test design. A total of 60 nursing students were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to the laughter yoga, psychoeducation, or control group, with 20 participants in each group. Both active interventions were delivered online twice weekly for four weeks. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Information Form, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Short Form of the Adult Career Concerns Scale. Changes in perceived stress and career anxiety over time were evaluated across the three study groups. The primary statistical analysis used a linear mixed-effects model, with supplementary analyses including mixed-effects analysis of variance, post-hoc comparisons, and analysis of covariance. Keywords: laughter yoga, psychoeducation, psychiatric nursing, nursing students

Conditions

The Effect of Online Laughter Yoga Combined With Psychoeducation on Perceived Stress and Career Anxiety Among Nursing Students

Keywords

laughter yoga, psychoeducation, psychiatric nursing, nursing students

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Stress Scale

  The Perceived Stress Scale is a 10-item scale assessing perceived stress during the previous month. Each item is scored from 0 to 4, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 40. Higher scores indicate higher levels of perceived stress.

  Baseline and 4 weeks after the start of the intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Adult Career Anxiety Scale - Short Form

  Baseline (pre-test) and at the end of the 4-week intervention (post-test)

Study Arms (3)

Laughter Yoga

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants took part in an online (via Google Meet) laughter yoga programme comprising a total of 8 sessions, held twice a week over a period of 4 weeks. Each session lasted 30-40 minutes; the programme began with an introduction and basic techniques, continued with intermediate-level exercises, energy-boosting activities, group interaction and emotional release exercises, and concluded with consolidation and closing sessions. The content included breathing exercises and structured laughter techniques.

Behavioral: Laughter Yoga Programme

Psychoeducation

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants took part in a structured online psychoeducation programme (via Google Meet) comprising a total of 8 sessions over 4 weeks, at a rate of 2 sessions per week. Each session lasted 40-60 minutes; the programme covered the concepts of stress, coping strategies, emotion regulation and career awareness.

Behavioral: Psychoeducational Programme

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

The control group continued with their routine training and clinical practice without receiving any additional intervention during the study period. For ethical reasons, they were also offered the intervention programme on a voluntary basis once the study had been completed.

Interventions

Laughter Yoga Programme BEHAVIORAL

The programme began with an introductory session and basic techniques, followed by intermediate-level laughter exercises, energy-boosting activities, group interaction and emotional release exercises; it concluded with consolidation and closing sessions. The content consisted of a combination of deep yoga breathing exercises and unconditional (unprompted) laughter techniques.

Laughter Yoga

Psychoeducational Programme BEHAVIORAL

A structured psychoeducational programme delivered online over 4 weeks, comprising 2 sessions per week (8 sessions in total, 40-60 minutes per session), covering the topics of stress, coping strategies, emotion regulation and career awareness.

Psychoeducation

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Be a student on the nursing programme
• Be aged 18 or over
• Agree to participate in the study on a voluntary basis
• Have internet access and a suitable device (mobile phone/computer) to take part in the online sessions
• Complete the data collection tools in full

You may not qualify if:

• Failure to attend sessions regularly during the study
• Filling in data collection forms incompletely or incorrectly
• Being in another psychoeducation or stress reduction program at the same time
• Having a psychiatric diagnosis and being actively receiving treatment
• Wishing to withdraw from the research during the study period

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Okan University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Okan University

Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (5)

• Şahin, S., Özaydın, S., & Siyez, D. M. (2019). Yetişkin Kariyer Endişeleri Ölçeği Kısa Formu: Türkçeye uyarlama, geçerlik ve güvenilirlik çalışması. Kariyer Psikolojik Danışmanlığı Dergisi, 2(2), 166-193.

  BACKGROUND

• Perrone, K.M., Gordon, P.A., Fitch, J.C. and Civiletto, C.L. (2003), the adult career concerns inventory: Development of a short form. Journal of Employment Counseling, 40: 172-180. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2003.tb00868.x

  BACKGROUND

• Kaya C, Tansey TN, Melekoglu M, Cakiroglu O, Chan F. Psychometric evaluation of Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale with Turkish college students. J Ment Health. 2019 Apr;28(2):161-167. doi: 10.1080/09638237.2017.1417566. Epub 2017 Dec 20.

  PMID: 29260926 BACKGROUND

• Kaya KC, Ozkan CG, Agis D. Effects of laughter yoga practiced by the first year nursing students before clinical practice on their perceptions of stress and meaning of life: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Nurs. 2025 Jan 11;24(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s12912-024-02642-0.

  PMID: 39799345 BACKGROUND

• Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.

  PMID: 6668417 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Raife 1 Aşık, 1

  Okan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Raife AŞIK, 1

  Okan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Participants were randomly assigned via computer-generated block randomization to three parallel groups (Laughter Yoga, Psychoeducation, Control) in a 1:1:1 ratio, with each group receiving its intervention concurrently.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 14, 2026
• First Posted: August 25, 2026
• Study Start: May 18, 2026
• Primary Completion: June 12, 2026
• Study Completion: July 10, 2026
• Last Updated: August 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)