• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.230-236
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• 2013

Purpose: In this study, the effects of laughter therapy on a laughter index, cortisol and immunoglobulin of middle aged women were examined. Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pre/post-test design were used. The participants (n=54) included 27 in the experimental group and 27 in the control group. The data were collected from February through March of 2013. The experimental group participated in laughter therapy for 40 minutes per session, five times a week for a period of 2 weeks. The tool was used to measure pre/post-test laughter index, cortisol and immunoglobulin of middle aged women. Results: The results showed that laughter therapy was effective in increasing the laughter index (p<.001), and immunoglobulin IgA (p<.001), IgG (p<.001), and IgM (p=.010). Also, the stress hormone, cortisol of middle aged women decreased but non-significantly (p=.158). Conclusion: The result of the study indicates that laughter therapy may have an influence on nursing intervention and treatment effects to improve the laughter index and immunoglobulin of middle aged women.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.160-166
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• 2014

Purse: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a laughter therapy on mental health promoting like depression, laughing index of elderly. Methods: The study was conducted based on the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participations included 12 older adults in the control group and 11 in the experiment group. Data was collected from October 1 to November 22, 2013. Experimental group participated in laughter therapy six times, once a week for 60 minutes of each session. Questionnaires were used to measure pretest and posttest levels of depression and laughing index. Results: At the end of six-week intervention, depression score (z=-2.95 p=.003) and laughter index score (z=-2.81 p=.005) was significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Futhermore, there was a significant difference in the depression scores of the experiment group at the posttest, but no signigicant difference was found between the two groups. Conclusion: The study results suggest that the laughter therapy is an effective intervention to reduce the depression but helpful to enhance the laughing index. Therefore, it is expected that laughter therapy will serve as an emotional nursing intervention for elderly patients with depression.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.163-172
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• 2012

The purpose of the study were to investigate the effect of laughter program on the stress of nursing college students in clinical practice. The research design is one group pretest-posttest survey. Thirty-eight nursing college students took part in the study. Laughter program was carried out for 1hour 6weeks. Laughter program showed significant change on the state anxiety, mood-emotion, laughter index, subjective stress and self esteem. The acquired data were analyzed with SPSS/win 15.0 using descriptive methods paired t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient. The research producted following results: Laughter program can be effective to decrease the clinical practice stress; anxiety, mood-emotion and subjective stress index. Laughter program can be effective to increase laughter index and self esteem of nursing college students. Based on the study, It is necessary to repeat studies and considering to develop proper methods of clinical practice stress of nursing college students. This study recommends that laughter program coupled with cognitive approaches could affect ways of nursing college students coping with stress and contribute to the improvement from increasing their satisfaction.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate Laughter Index, depression and anxiety in middle-aged women. Method: The data were collected from 622 middle-aged women by means of structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis by SPSS version 10. Results: The measuring of respondents' laughter index revealed they scored an average of 94.75 (${\pm}16.13$) of the full score 150. The measuring of respondents' depression showed they marked an average of 42.69 (${\pm}7.72$) of the full score 80. The measuring of respondents' anxiety showed they marked an average of 42.03 (${\pm}9.48$) of the full score 80. Respondents statistically showed the significant difference in their laughter index depending on age(t=.917, p=.000), and economic status(F=21.710, p=.000). Respondents statistically revealed the significant difference in depression depending on religion(F=3.396, p=.018), economic status(F=13.660, p=.000). Respondents statistically revealed the significant difference in anxiety depending on religion(F=5.557, p=.001), economic status(F=16.79, p=.000). The laughter index related to depression and anxiety in middle-aged women were significantly correlated. Conclusion: This study showed that laughter index in middle-aged women was correlated negatively depression and anxiety. Further research is regarded as necessary to evaluate and to compare effects of laughter with physical health status.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.205-213
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of visiting laughter therapy on depression and insomnia in the vulnerable elderly. Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used for this study. The participants were 87 elderly who were registered in the Tailored Visiting Health Program of public health centers. Data were collected from September to November 2010. The experimental group received visiting laughter therapy froma visiting nurse who had taken laughter training provided by laughter therapy experts. The experimental group received 10~15 min of laughter therapy once a week for 8 weeks. The instruments included Geriatric Depression Scale and Insomnia Severity Index to measure depression and sleep problems before and after the laughter therapy. Results: The results showed that visiting laughter therapy was effective in decreasing depression and insomnia among the vulnerable elderly. Conclusion: These findings indicate that laughter therapy may be an effective nursing intervention to improve depression and insomnia Further studies would be needed to identify the difference of effects according to time, interval, or period of visiting laughter therapy and to evaluate the lasting effect of visiting laughter therapy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.298-310
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the laughter therapy program on perceived stress and psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune responses in obese women. Methods: A nonequivalent control group with a pretest-posttest design was used. The participants (n=60), whose age ranged from 30 to 50 years (pre-menopausal and body mass index of over $25kg/m^2$), were assigned to the experimental group (n=24) or control group (n=26). The experimental group was provided with the laughter therapy program (12 sessions) for 6 weeks. Results: There were significant differences in perceived stress, psychological stress response, fasting blood sugar, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha between the two groups after the program. However, there were no significant differences in normalized low frequency (norm LF), normalized high frequency (norm HF), LF/HF ratio, and cortisol between the two groups after the program. Conclusion: It was found that the laughter therapy program had positive effects on some variables in terms of perceived stress and psycho-neuro-endocrine-immuno responses. It is suggested that the laughter therapy in this study can provide the direction for developing a program for obese women.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.103-112
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• 2018

Pathological laughing and crying (PLC) is a condition defined by relatively uncontrollable episodes of laughter, crying or both. PLC is an uncommon symptom usually caused by cerebral lesions. Midbrain involvement causing PLC is extremely unusual and the exact mechanism by which this condition develops is poorly understood. We recently experienced a 51-year-old woman who were diagnosed as PLC after midbrain infarction. She was treated by acupuncture, pulsed electromagnetic therapy (PEMT). After 6 weeks treatment, Pathological Laughter and Crying Scale (PLACS), Korean version of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (K-SARA) are decreased and Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) is increased. Treatment of traditional Korean Medicine could be effective for stoke rehabilitation including post-stroke PLC. And we have considered mechanism of PLC associated with midbrain lesion, dysfunction of cortex-thalamus-hypothalamus-basal ganglia-mesencephalon and faciorespiratory nuclei pathways, cerebro-ponto-cerebellar pathways and damaged serotonergic neurotransmission can cause this based on recent neurobiology of emotion. To define exact mechanism and find effective treatment, further studies are needed.