The Effects of Laughter Therapy on Anger, Anger Expressions and Mental Status After Oil Spill in Victimized Community Residence / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the effects of laughter therapy in victimized community residence and to suggest that the practice is an effective nursing intervention to reduce anger, anger expression and to improve mental health. METHODS: The research design was a non-synchronized design with a nonequivalent control group. Laughter therapy was used as the experimental treatment from March 21 to April 16 2009. The 31research participants were assigned to an experimental (15) or control (16) group. Laughter therapy was administered four times to the experimental group. Data analysis was done with SPSS/win 17.0 for Mann-Whitney U test and ANCOVA. RESULTS: There were significant changes in the level of trait anger and somatization. There were no significant changes in the level of anger expression, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid and interpersonal sensitivity. CONCLUSION: These results show that laughter therapy is an effective nursing intervention to decrease the level of trait anger and somatization.