The Effects of Laughter-Therapy on Moods and Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Staying at Care Facilities in South Korea

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of laughter-therapy on negative mood and life satisfaction in older adults staying in care facilities. Methods: Twenty four individuals from facility G participated in the laughter-therapy group and another 24 from facility J in the usual care group. Eight sessions composed the laughter-therapy in this study and each session lasted 60 minutes. To examine the hypotheses, data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and ANCOVA with the SPSS program version 16.0. Results: Negative mood scores for the laughter-therapy group were lower than those of control group (F=89.99, p<.001). Life satisfaction scores for the laughter-therapy group were higher than those of control group (F=100.68, p<.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that laughter-therapy for older adults staying in care facilities results in an improvement in mood and life satisfaction. Key Words: Laughter therapy, Mood, Satisfaction, Elderly