This is a prospective investigation of the effects of Laughter therapy (LT) on perceived stress, self-efficacy, mood and other wellness measures in people with the following neurological conditions: Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain injury, Huntington's Disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, post-stroke, spinal cord injury.
Laughter therapy (LT) has potential benefits in treating illness. It combines laughter with breathing and body exercises to stimulate laughter, both real and artificial, in a group setting. Laughter therapy may help treating illness by strengthening breathing muscles, improving mood, and providing pain and stress relief. EvergreenHealth has presented laughter therapy classes to patients with Parkinson's disease and Multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions. The therapy will be led by a certified laughter therapist and mental health professional.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
24
Laughter Therapy (LT) involves simple exercises using playfulness, eye contact and chanting in forms of laughter. LT will be taught by a certified LT instructor in a group session. There will be 8 sessions per group with each session attended by 8-12 participants and lasting 60 minutes
Evergreen Healthcare
Kirkland, Washington, United States
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9, for depression)
Outcome measures will be completed at baseline, active-phase completion at week 8 and post-active phase week 8 (16 weeks post-start of active phase).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 8 weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7, for anxiety)
Outcome measures will be completed at baseline, active-phase completion at week 8 and post-active phase week 8 (16 weeks post-start of active phase).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 8 weeks
The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE)
Outcome measures will be completed at baseline, active-phase completion at week 8 and post-active phase week 8 (16 weeks post-start of active phase).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to 8 weeks
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