1 726 78 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON SALIVARY CORTISOL AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE AMONG HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE WHETHER LAUGHTER YOGA (LY), I.E., SIMULATED LAUGHTER, ALTERS CORTISOL AND DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA) LEVELS AND CORTISOL/DHEA (C/D) RATIOS. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, 120 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ALLOCATED TO EXPERIENCING LY, WATCHING A COMEDY MOVIE (SPONTANEOUS LAUGHTER), OR READING A BOOK. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND DHEA LEVELS WERE MEASURED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE, IMMEDIATELY AFTER, AND 30MIN AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED BY TIME IN THE LY AND COMEDY MOVIE GROUPS. SIGNIFICANT GROUP*TIME INTERACTIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN THESE TWO GROUPS FOR CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS. DHEA LEVELS DID NOT CHANGE BY TIME IN THE LY GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: LY DECREASED CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS BUT DID NOT AFFECT DHEA LEVELS. SIMULATED AND SPONTANEOUS LAUGHTER DIFFERENTLY AFFECTED THE DYNAMICS OF CORTISOL LEVELS AND C/D RATIOS. EFFECT OF SPONTANEOUS LAUGHTER ON THE CORTISOL DYNAMICS LASTED LONGER THAN THAT OF SIMULATED LAUGHTER. (UMIN000019409). 2018 2 2220 24 THE IMPACT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG RETIRED WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. RECENTLY, LAUGHTER YOGA (LY) HAS BEEN INTRODUCED FOR MANAGING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF LY ON DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG RETIRED WOMEN IN CITY OF BOJNURD, IRAN, 2018. SIXTY-SIX RETIRED WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. INTERVENTION GROUP RECEIVED LY TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS; CONTROL GROUP HAD THEIR ROUTINE DAILY ACTIVITIES. DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY LEVELS WERE MEASURED AT STUDY INITIATION, WEEK 4, AND WEEK 8 IN BOTH GROUPS. RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PATTERN OF DEPRESSION (P <.001) AND ANXIETY (P <.001) SCORES WITHIN AND BETWEEN GROUPS. LY COULD BE AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION IN REDUCING DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AMONG RETIRED WOMEN. 2022 3 1550 30 LAUGHTER YOGA VERSUS GROUP EXERCISE PROGRAM IN ELDERLY DEPRESSED WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA FOUNDED BY M. KATARIA IS A COMBINATION OF UNCONDITIONED LAUGHTER AND YOGIC BREATHING. ITS EFFECT ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WAS SHOWN TO BE BENEFICIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF KATARIA'S LAUGHTER YOGA AND GROUP EXERCISE THERAPY IN DECREASING DEPRESSION AND INCREASING LIFE SATISFACTION IN OLDER ADULT WOMEN OF A CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF TEHRAN, IRAN. METHODS: SEVENTY DEPRESSED OLD WOMEN WHO WERE MEMBERS OF A CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF TEHRAN WERE CHOSEN BY GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE (SCORE>10). AFTER COMPLETION OF LIFE SATISFACTION SCALE PRE-TEST AND DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE, SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THREE GROUPS OF LAUGHTER THERAPY, EXERCISE THERAPY, AND CONTROL. SUBSEQUENTLY, DEPRESSION POST-TEST AND LIFE SATISFACTION POST-TEST WERE DONE FOR ALL THREE GROUPS. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE AND BONFERRONI'S CORRECTION. RESULTS: SIXTY SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE ANALYSIS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN DECREASE IN DEPRESSION SCORES OF BOTH LAUGHTER YOGA AND EXERCISE THERAPY GROUP IN COMPARISON TO CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001 AND P<0.01, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAUGHTER YOGA AND EXERCISE THERAPY GROUPS. THE INCREASE IN LIFE SATISFACTION OF LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN COMPARISON WITH CONTROL GROUP (P<0.001). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN EXERCISE THERAPY AND EITHER CONTROL OR LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: OUR FINDINGS SHOWED THAT LAUGHTER YOGA IS AT LEAST AS EFFECTIVE AS GROUP EXERCISE PROGRAM IN IMPROVEMENT OF DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION OF ELDERLY DEPRESSED WOMEN. 2011 4 1548 18 LAUGHTER YOGA ACTIVITIES FOR OLDER PEOPLE LIVING IN RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE HOMES: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF A LAUGHTER YOGA ACTIVITIES (LY) PROGRAM FOR OLDER PEOPLE LIVING IN RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE HOMES (RACHS). METHODS: A 6-WEEK LY PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED AT THREE RACHS WITH TWENTY-EIGHT RESIDENTS. A PRE-POST DESIGN WAS USED TO MEASURE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT, HAPPINESS, BLOOD PRESSURE AND PULSE. RESULTS: POST-SESSION MEAN SCORES FOR POSITIVE MOOD, AND HAPPINESS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN PRE-SESSION SCORES IN WEEKS 1, 3 AND 6, AND THE POST-SESSION MEAN NEGATIVE MOOD SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN PRE-SESSION SCORES IN WEEKS 3 AND 6. POST-SESSION READINGS FOR MEAN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN PRE-SESSION READINGS IN WEEKS 1 AND 6. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE POTENTIAL FOR USING LY TO IMPROVE MOOD AND LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE OF OLDER PEOPLE LIVING IN RACHS. 2017 5 1549 29 LAUGHTER YOGA REDUCES THE CORTISOL RESPONSE TO ACUTE STRESS IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. STRESS IS ONE OF THE FOREMOST CONTRIBUTORS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISEASES. SINCE THE PREVALENCE OF STRESS-RELATED COMPLAINTS IS INCREASING, WE ARE IN NEED FOR AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES. LAUGHTER YOGA (LY), A POPULAR METHOD ENCOURAGING PARTICIPANTS TO SIMULATE LAUGHTER AND PARTICIPATE IN YOGIC BREATHING EXERCISES, IS HYPOTHESIZED TO BUFFER NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF STRESS. ALTHOUGH WIDELY PRACTICED, EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF LY IS SCARCE. WE INVESTIGATED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF A SINGLE 30-MIN LY SESSION ON THE AUTONOMIC, ENDOCRINE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO A STANDARDIZED PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSOR. THIRTY-FIVE HEALTHY SUBJECTS (51% FEMALE) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EXPERIENCE EITHER A LY (N = 11), A RELAXATION BREATHING (N = 12) OR A (NON-INTERVENTION) CONTROL (N = 12) SESSION PRIOR TO THEIR EXPOSURE TO THE TRIER SOCIAL STRESS TEST FOR GROUPS (TSST-G). SALIVARY CORTISOL, SALIVARY ALPHA AMYLASE, AND SUBJECTIVE STRESS WERE ASSESSED REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT THE EXPERIMENT. WE EXPECTED THAT LY AND RELAXATION BREATHING GROUP EACH SHOW A DOWNREGULATION OF STRESS RESPONSE INDICES COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. FURTHER, WE EXPECTED THAT LY HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS COMPARED TO RELAXATION BREATHING. THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER IN SALIVARY CORTISOL, ALPHA AMYLASE OR SUBJECTIVE STRESS REACTIVITY DURING THE 30-MIN INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, IN RESPONSE TO THE TSST-G, THE LY, BUT NEITHER THE RELAXATION BREATHING, NOR THE CONTROL CONDITION, SHOWED AN ATTENUATED CORTISOL STRESS RESPONSE. THESE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL OF LY TO BUFFER THE ENDOCRINE STRESS RESPONSE. THEREFORE, LY COULD BE USED AS A CHEAP AND EASILY-TO-IMPLEMENT ADD-ON TO MORE TRADITIONAL STRESS INTERVENTIONS. LAY SUMMARY IN RECENT YEARS, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED TO FEEL STRESSED. ALTHOUGH OUR BODY IS WELL EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH ACUTE STRESS, CHRONIC STRESS CAN TIRE OUR SYSTEM AND CONTRIBUTE TO ILLNESS IN THE LONG RUN. THEREFORE, WE NEED AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO REDUCE STRESS. IN THIS STUDY WE HAVE INVESTIGATED WHETHER A SINGLE LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION CAN HELP US TO DEAL WITH ACUTE STRESS. ALTHOUGH LAUGHTER YOGA DID NOT CHANGE HOW STRESSFUL A SITUATION WAS PERCEIVED, IT REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF STRESS HORMONES THAT WERE RELEASED IN RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION. AS SUCH, LAUGHTER YOGA MIGHT BE A CHEAP AND EASILY-TO-IMPLEMENT ADD-ON TO MORE TRADITIONAL STRESS REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS. 2021 6 1826 23 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS IN JAPAN: A PILOT STUDY. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND EVALUATE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON COMMUNITY MEMBERS. PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN A 45 MIN LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION ONCE PER MONTH FOR 6 MONTHS. BEFORE AND AFTER ALL SESSIONS, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-BRIEF JAPANESE VERSION (J-POMS-B) QUESTIONNAIRE TO ASSESS THEIR MOOD, AND HAD BLOOD DRAWN FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF STRESS INDICATORS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION. SERIAL CHANGES IN J-POMS-B SCORES WERE TESTED BY THREE WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, AND CHANGES IN LABORATORY RESULTS PER SESSION WERE EVALUATED WITH A PAIRED T-TEST. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT REPEATED SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA HAD PSYCHOLOGICALLY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS, ESPECIALLY ON THE ASPECTS OF TENSION-ANXIETY, AND VIGOR. ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE AND CORTISOL VALUES RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANTS' STRESS LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER THE FOURTH LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION. THESE RESULTS INDICATED THAT MULTIPLE LAUGHTER YOGA SESSIONS APPEARED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS OF HEALTHY ADULTS. 2018 7 1238 22 FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS IN PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA (LY) IS A GROUP-BASED INTERVENTION INVOLVING SIMULATED LAUGHTER, GENTLE STRETCHING, RHYTHMIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION. THERE IS SOME LIMITED EVIDENCE THAT LY REDUCES DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS OVER THE SHORT TERM. HOWEVER, THE QUALITY OF PREVIOUS LY STUDIES IS POOR AND NONE INVOLVED WORKING-AGED PEOPLE WITH A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF DEPRESSION. THEREFORE, THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY AND POTENTIAL EFFICACY OF LY FOR IMPROVING RESIDUAL MOOD, ANXIETY AND STRESS SYMPTOMS IN ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH DEPRESSION. METHODS: FIFTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMISED TO THE GROUP LY INTERVENTION (N=23) CONSISTING OF EIGHT SESSIONS OVER FOUR WEEKS, OR TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (N=27). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE AND THE SHORT FORM 12 ITEM HEALTH SURVEY AT BASELINE (T0), POST-INTERVENTION (T1) AND AT 3 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP (T2). LY PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED A CLIENT SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE (CSQ8) AT T1 AND ELEVEN PARTICIPATED IN INDIVIDUAL QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS AT T2. RESULTS: THE LY GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY GREATER DECREASES IN DEPRESSION AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP FROM T0 TO T1. THE CSQ8 SCORES INDICATED A FAVOURABLE LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH THE LY INTERVENTION. THE QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS HIGHLIGHTED ASPECTS OF THE INTERVENTION THAT WERE EFFECTIVE AND THOSE REQUIRING MODIFICATION. LIMITATIONS: LIMITATIONS INCLUDE THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND TREATMENT-AS-USUAL CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: A FULL SCALE RCT OF LY COULD BE FEASIBLE IF SOME MODIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE PROTOCOL/INTERVENTION. THE INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE TO IMPROVE DEPRESSION AND MENTAL HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IMMEDIATELY POST INTERVENTION. 2019 8 1497 27 INTRADIALYTIC LAUGHTER YOGA THERAPY FOR HAEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS: A PRE-POST INTERVENTION FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA CONSISTS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES AND SIMULATED VIGOROUS LAUGHTER. IT HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS FOR PEOPLE IN DIVERSE CLINICAL AND NON-CLINICAL SETTINGS, BUT HAS NOT YET BEEN TESTED IN A HAEMODIALYSIS SETTING. THE STUDY HAD THREE AIMS: 1) TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING LAUGHTER YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH END STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE IN A DIALYSIS SETTING; 2) TO EXPLORE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF LAUGHTER YOGA FOR THESE PATIENTS; AND 3) TO ESTIMATE THE SAMPLE SIZE REQUIRED FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. METHODS: PRE/POST INTERVENTION FEASIBILITY STUDY. EIGHTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY AND LAUGHTER YOGA THERAPISTS PROVIDED A FOUR WEEK INTRADIALYTIC PROGRAM (30-MIN INTERVENTION THREE TIMES PER WEEK). PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE PSYCHOLOGICAL ITEMS MEASURED AT THE FIRST AND LAST LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION, INCLUDING: QUALITY OF LIFE; SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING; MOOD; OPTIMISM; CONTROL; SELF-ESTEEM; DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE: BLOOD PRESSURE, INTRADIALYTIC HYPOTENSIVE EPISODES AND LUNG FUNCTION (FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME). DIALYSIS NURSES EXPOSED TO THE INTERVENTION COMPLETED A LAUGHTER YOGA ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS SURVEY (N = 11). DATA WERE ANALYSED USING IBM SPSS STATISTICS V22, INCLUDING DESCRIPTIVE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS, AND SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATES WERE CALCULATED USING G*POWER. RESULTS: ONE PARTICIPANT WITHDREW FROM THE STUDY FOR MEDICAL REASONS THAT WERE UNRELATED TO THE STUDY DURING THE FIRST WEEK (94 % RETENTION RATE). THERE WERE NON-SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN HAPPINESS, MOOD, AND OPTIMISM AND A DECREASE IN STRESS. EPISODES OF INTRADIALYTIC HYPOTENSION DECREASED FROM 19 PRE AND 19 DURING LAUGHTER YOGA TO 4 POST LAUGHTER YOGA. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN LUNG FUNCTION OR BLOOD PRESSURE. ALL NURSES AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED THAT LAUGHTER YOGA HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PATIENTS' MOOD, IT WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AND THEY WOULD RECOMMEND LAUGHTER YOGA TO THEIR PATIENTS. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH INDICATED THAT A MINIMUM OF 207 PARTICIPANTS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT POWER TO DETECT CHANGE IN KEY PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT LAUGHTER YOGA IS A SAFE, LOW-INTENSITY FORM OF INTRADIALYTIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED FOR PATIENTS IN DIALYSIS SETTINGS. LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED, HOWEVER, TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON KEY PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY - ACTRN12614001130651 . REGISTERED 23 OCTOBER 2014. 2015 9 1551 24 LAUGHTER YOGA, ADULTS LIVING WITH PARKINSONS DISEASE, AND CAREGIVERS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXPLORED OUTCOMES OF LAUGHTER YOGA IN ADULTS WITH PARKINSONS DISEASE (PD) AND THEIR CAREGIVERS. LAUGHTER HAS BEEN SHOWN TO GENERALLY IMPROVE MOOD IN PHYSICALLY HEALTHY ADULTS, AND SPECIFICALLY IN ADULTS WITH HEART DISEASE OR CANCER, BUT LITTLE RESEARCH EXISTS REGARDING THE IMPACT OF LAUGHTER IN ADULTS WITH PARKINSONS DISEASE. LOW MOOD IS FREQUENTLY A CO-MORBID CONDITION FOR ADULTS WITH PARKINSONS DISEASE, AND CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT THEIR CAREGIVERS. DESIGN: PRE-EXPERIMENTAL (O1 X O2) PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN. SETTINGS/LOCATION: DATA COLLECTION OCCURRED AT SIX UNIQUE PD SUPPORT GROUPS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SUBJECTS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 85) COMPRISED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSONS DISEASE (N = 47) AND ACCOMPANYING CAREGIVERS (N = 38). INTERVENTION: SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A 45-MIN LAUGHTER YOGA (LY) SESSION CONDUCTED BY A CERTIFIED LAUGHTER YOGA TEACHER. OUTCOME MEASURES: THIS STUDY UTILIZED THE LAUGHTER YOGA "HOW DO YOU FEEL?" (HDYF) FORM. THE FORM CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF 10 SCALES LABELED "WELL-BEING" MEASURES INCLUDING ENTHUSIASM, ENERGY LEVEL, MOOD, OPTIMISM, STRESS LEVEL, LEVEL OF FRIENDSHIP WITH GROUP MEMBERS, LEVEL OF AWARENESS ABOUT BREATHING, LEVEL OF MUSCLE RELAXATION, LEVEL OF MENTAL RELAXATION, AND ABILITY TO LAUGH WITHOUT A REASON. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: PAIRED SAMPLE T-TESTS REVEAL STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL-BEING FOR ADULTS WITH PD AND THEIR CAREGIVERS AFTER ATTENDING AN LY SESSION. THERAPISTS AND OTHER CLINICIANS SHOULD CONSIDER UTILIZING THIS UNIQUE TECHNIQUE WITH ADULTS WITH PD TO ADDRESS CO-MORBID LOW-MOOD CONDITIONS AND INCLUDE CAREGIVERS IN THE LY SESSIONS FOR SUPPORT AND THEIR OWN BENEFIT. 2016 10 1001 23 EFFECTS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS' PLASMA-BETA ENDORPHIN LEVELS, PAIN LEVELS AND SLEEP QUALITY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THIS STUDY EVALUATES THE EFFECTS OF "LAUGHTER YOGA" ON THE PLASMA BETA-ENDORPHIN LEVELS, PAIN LEVELS AND SLEEP QUALITY OF HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS. IT IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT BETWEEN JULY AND OCTOBER 2018. A TOTAL OF 68 PATIENTS RECEIVING HEMODIALYSIS TREATMENT AT TWO DIFFERENT DIALYSIS CENTERS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. THE DURATION OF THE LAUGHTER YOGA WAS 30 MIN, AND A TOTAL OF 16 SESSIONS WERE PERFORMED ON A TWICE-WEEKLY BASIS. THE DATA WERE COLLECTED BY USING A SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FORM, THE VISUAL ANALOG SCALE AND THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX, AND BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED TO DETERMINE BETA-ENDORPHIN LEVELS. FOLLOWING THE LAUGHTER YOGA IMPLEMENTATION, THE PAIN LEVEL OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP PATIENTS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED, AND THEIR SLEEP QUALITY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OCCURRED IN THE PATIENTS' BETA-ENDORPHIN LEVELS. LAUGHTER YOGA WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PAIN AND INCREASING SLEEP QUALITY. 2021 11 725 22 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES. CONTEXT: IN 2014, LAUGHTER YOGA (LY) ACHIEVED THE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, TIER 2, UNDER THE TITLE III-D EVIDENCE-BASED DISEASE PREVENTION AND HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION ON AGING (AOA). FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO QUALIFY LY UNDER THE CRITERIA FOR THE HIGHEST TIER, TIER 3, TO ASSURE CONTINUED FUNDING FOR LY CLASSES AT SENIOR CENTERS. OBJECTIVES: THE STUDY INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE FURTHER THE BENEFITS OF LY AND TO QUALIFY LY AS TIER 3 UNDER TITLE III-D. DESIGN: USING A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, THE RESEARCH TEAM CONDUCTED A PREINTERVENTION/POSTINTERVENTION STUDY IN 3 PHASES. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS DONE IN A VARIETY OF COMMUNITY CENTERS. PHASE 1, A PILOT PHASE, WAS LIMITED TO NORTH CAROLINA, AND PHASE 2 WAS CONDUCTED IN MULTIPLE STATES. PHASE 3 WAS HELD AT THE NORTH CAROLINA AREA AGENCY ON AGING'S ANNUAL VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MEETING. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS IN PHASES 1 (N = 109) AND 2 (N = 247) ENROLLED IN LY CLASSES. CLASSES WERE ADVERTISED BY FLIERS POSTED IN COMMUNITY AND IN RETIREMENT CENTERS. THE ABILITY OF PARTICIPANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS WAS BASED SOLELY ON THEIR DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE, REGARDLESS OF AGE, ABILITY, HEALTH STATUS, OR PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT. PHASE 3 (N = 23) WAS A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE ONLY. ALL PHASES WERE VOLUNTARY. OUTCOME MEASURE: THE PRE- AND POSTTESTS FOR ALL 3 PHASES WERE LIKERT-SCALE SURVEYS, 10 QUESTIONS ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF WELL-BEING (POWB) SURVEY. PULSE AND OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS WERE ALSO ASSESSED PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION. ANALYSIS INCLUDED A T TEST ON EACH OF THE 10 POWB AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES FOR ALL PHASES. RESULTS: ALL 10 POWB MEASURES FOR PHASES 1 AND 2 SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS BETWEEN THE PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION TESTING (P < .001). PHASE 3, THE CONTROL, SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THE INITIAL STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT LY MEETS THE CRITERIA TO QUALIFY FOR TIER 3 UNDER THE TITLE III-D EVIDENCE-BASED DISEASE PREVENTION AND HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM AND THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF AMERICANS, REGARDLESS OF AGE AND PHYSICAL ABILITY, COULD BENEFIT FROM LY. 2016 12 723 33 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE FACED WITH SEVERAL STRESS FACTORS AFFECTING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THEREFORE, THE FIRST YEAR AT UNIVERSITY IS A PERIOD THAT CALLS FOR CAREFUL ATTENTION AND RESEARCH. AIM: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MENTAL SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN NURSING STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY EMPLOYING A PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WITH A CONTROL GROUP. A TOTAL OF 75 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE ASSIGNED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP. THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY WAS APPLIED TO BOTH GROUPS BEFORE SESSION 1 AND AFTER SESSION 8. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE TAKEN FROM THE STUDENTS TO MEASURE THEIR CORTISOL LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION. RESULTS: EVALUATION OF THE MEAN SCORES OBTAINED FROM THE BRIEF SYMPTOM INVENTORY BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05). IN THREE OUT OF THE EIGHT SESSIONS, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP REGARDING THE MEAN VALUES OF PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE MEANS TO HELP FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS COPE WITH STRESS AND REDUCE MENTAL SYMPTOMS. 2021 13 526 33 COMPARISON OF LAUGHTER YOGA AND ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION ON ANXIETY AND GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. BACKGROUND IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) DISORDER. PATIENTS WITH IBS USUALLY SUFFER FROM ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. A COMBINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS CAN BE A SIGNIFICANTLY EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR IBS. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO PROVIDE A THERAPEUTIC PLAN BASED ON LAUGHTER YOGA AND ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION, EMPLOYED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME, AND TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE TREATMENTS ON THE ANXIETY AND GI SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH IBS. METHODS IN THIS RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, CLINICAL TRIAL, THE PARTICIPANTS WERE 60 PATIENTS SELECTED FROM THOSE WHO REFERRED TO THE GI CLINIC OF VALI-ASR HOSPITAL (BIRJAND, IRAN) DURING THE STUDY PERIOD (APRIL 2017 TO MARCH 2017) AND WERE DIAGNOSED AS HAVING IBS BASED ON ROME III CRITERIA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP, THE ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION GROUP, OR THE SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT (CONTROL) GROUP. SEVERITY LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND GI SYMPTOMS BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION WERE DETERMINED AND COMPARED AMONG THESE THREE GROUPS ACCORDING TO APPROVED PROTOCOLS. RESULTS THE SEVERITY OF IBS SYMPTOMS AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS WAS MORE GREATLY REDUCED IN THE LAUGHTER YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION AND CONTROL GROUPS (P = 0.006). THE SEVERITY OF ANXIETY AFTER INTERVENTIONS DECREASED IN ALL THREE GROUPS, ESPECIALLY IN THE YOGA TREATMENT GROUP, BUT THE DIFFERENCE WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.1). CONCLUSION LAUGHTER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATION IN REDUCING THE GI SYMPTOMS OF PATIENTS WITH IBS. THEREFORE, APPLYING LAUGHTER YOGA ALONG WITH COMMON PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPIES FOR PATIENTS WITH IBS MIGHT BE STRONGLY ADVISED. 2019 14 2084 28 THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON GENERAL HEALTH AMONG NURSING STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: PROMOTION AND PROVISION OF INDIVIDUALS' HEALTH IS ONE OF THE BASES FOR DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIETIES. STUDENTS' MENTAL HEALTH IS VERY IMPORTANT IN EACH SOCIETY. STUDENTS OF MEDICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITIES, ESPECIALLY NURSING STUDENTS, ARE UNDER VARIOUS STRESSES IN CLINICAL ENVIRONMENT, IN ADDITION TO THE STRESS THEY EXPERIENCE IN THEORETICAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT. WITH REGARD TO THE IMPORTANCE OF NURSING STUDENTS' GENERAL HEALTH AND CONSIDERING THE VARIOUS EXISTING STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE GENERAL HEALTH COMPONENTS, USE OF COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS IS MORE CONSIDERED BECAUSE OF THEIR BETTER PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE, LOW COSTS, AND FEWER COMPLICATIONS. ONE OF THE NEW STRATEGIES IN THIS REGARD IS LAUGHTER YOGA. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED WITH AN AIM TO DEFINE THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON GENERAL HEALTH AMONG NURSING STUDENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL TWO-GROUP THREE-STEP STUDY CONDUCTED ON 38 MALE NURSING STUDENTS IN THE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY SCHOOL OF ISFAHAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES IN 2012. IN THE STUDY GROUP, EIGHT 1 H SESSIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA WERE HELD (TWO SESSIONS A WEEK), AND IN THE CONTROL GROUP, NO INTERVENTION WAS CONDUCTED. THE DATA OF THE PRESENT STUDY WERE COLLECTED BY GOLDBERG AND HILLER'S GENERAL HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND ANALYZED BY SPSS VERSION 12. RESULTS: THE FINDINGS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN SCORES OF GENERAL HEALTH BEFORE AND AFTER LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTION IN THE TWO GROUPS OF STUDY AND CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SHOWED THAT LAUGHTER YOGA HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON STUDENTS' GENERAL HEALTH AND IMPROVED THE SIGNS OF PHYSICAL AND SLEEP DISORDERS, LOWERED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, AND PROMOTED THEIR SOCIAL FUNCTION. THEREFORE, LAUGHTER YOGA CAN BE USED AS ONE OF THE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES ON STUDENTS' GENERAL HEALTH. 2014 15 724 30 EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON MOOD AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS AWAITING ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: RESEARCH SHOWS THAT LAUGHTER HAS MYRIAD HEALTH BENEFITS, YET THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY HAS NOT IMPLEMENTED IT FORMALLY AS A TREATMENT. PATIENTS AWAITING ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION HAVE SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND ARE AT RISK FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. ATTENUATED HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) IS A RISK FACTOR FOR A NEGATIVE LONG-TERM OUTCOME IN SOME PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: THE STUDY INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE CLINICAL UTILITY OF LAUGHTER YOGA IN IMPROVING PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES IN OUTPATIENTS AWAITING ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION. POSITIVE RESULTS WOULD INDICATE PROMISING AREAS TO PURSUE IN A FOLLOW-UP STUDY. DESIGN: SIX PARTICIPANTS MET FOR 10 SESSIONS OVER 4 WEEKS. THE RESEARCH TEAM MEASURED EACH PARTICIPANT'S HEART RATE, HRV, BLOOD PRESSURE (BP), AND IMMEDIATE MOOD BEFORE AND AFTER THE LAUGHTER AND CONTROL INTERVENTIONS. THE TEAM ASSESSED PARTICIPANTS' LONGER-TERM MOOD (ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION) AT THE STUDY'S INITIATION, AFTER A NO-TREATMENT CONTROL WEEK, AND AT THE END OF THE STUDY. SETTING: THE STUDY OCCURRED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY AND MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, TUCSON. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE PATIENTS AWAITING TRANSPLANTS (THREE HEART AND THREE LUNG), TWO WOMEN AND FOUR MEN (AGES 51-69 Y). PARTICIPANTS HAD RECEIVED NO MAJOR SURGERY IN THE 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE INTERVENTION, DID NOT HAVE A HERNIA OR UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION, AND DID NOT FALL INTO THE NEW YORK HEART ASSOCIATION FUNCTION CLASS 4. INTERVENTION: THE 20-MINUTE LAUGHTER INTERVENTION INVOLVED BREATHING AND STRETCHING EXERCISES, SIMULATED LAUGHTER (IE, UNCONDITIONAL LAUGHTER THAT IS NOT CONTINGENT ON THE ENVIRONMENT), CHANTING, CLAPPING, AND A MEDITATION. THE 20-MINUTE CONTROL INTERVENTION INVOLVED THE STUDY'S PERSONNEL DISCUSSING HEALTH AND STUDY-RELATED TOPICS WITH THE PARTICIPANTS. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE RESEARCH TEAM MEASURED BP, HEART RATE, AND HRV AND ADMINISTERED THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II TO EVALUATE IMMEDIATE AND LONGER-TERM MOOD. THE TEAM HAD PLANNED QUANTITATIVE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DATA AT THE STUDY'S INITIATION BUT DID NOT COMPLETE IT BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS WAS TOO LOW FOR THE ANALYSIS TO BE MEANINGFUL. THE TEAM VISUALLY EXAMINED THE DATA, HOWEVER, FOR TRENDS THAT WOULD INDICATE AREAS TO EXAMINE FURTHER IN A FOLLOW-UP STUDY. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS SHOWED IMPROVED IMMEDIATE MOOD (VIGOR-ACTIVITY AND FRIENDLINESS) AND INCREASED HRV AFTER THE LAUGHTER INTERVENTION. BOTH THE LAUGHTER AND CONTROL INTERVENTIONS APPEARED TO IMPROVE LONGER-TERM ANXIETY. TWO PARTICIPANTS AWAITING A LUNG TRANSPLANT DROPPED OUT OF THE STUDY, AND NO ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT LAUGHTER YOGA MAY IMPROVE HRV AND SOME ASPECTS OF MOOD, AND THIS TOPIC WARRANTS FURTHER RESEARCH. 2012 16 2221 20 THE IMPACT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON THE STRESS OF CANCER PATIENTS BEFORE CHEMOTHERAPY. BACKGROUND: CANCER IS USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY CONSIDERABLE STRESS FOR THE SUFFERER, AND THE STRESS HAS DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS ON CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT PROCESS. THEREFORE, THE CURRENT RESEARCH DEALS WITH THE EFFECT OF YOGA LAUGHTER ON THE CANCER PATIENTS' STRESS BEFORE CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: IN THIS RESEARCH, AS THE FIRST STEP, 37 CANCER SUFFERERS , WHO HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED IN SHOHADA TAJRISH HOSPITAL (BEHNAM DANESHPOOR CHARITY ORGANIZATION) AND HAD THE REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY FOR BEING TAKEN AS RESEARCH SAMPLES, WERE SELECTED FOR DATA COLLECTION. THE MENTIONED PATIENTS WERE CLASSIFIED RANDOMLY IN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. COLLECTED DATA WERE ANALYZED BY THE MULTI-VARIABLE COVARIANCE ANALYSIS TEST. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOW THERE IS A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE IN THE STRESS AVERAGE BEFORE AND AFTER INTERFERENCE IN THE TEST GROUP (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA CAN DECREASE THE STRESS IN CANCER SUFFERERS BEFORE CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 17 227 24 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: LAUGHTER YOGA IS ONE OF THE INCREASINGLY USED METHODS AMONG COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACHES IN THE WORLD. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, ELECTRONIC SEARCHES WERE PERFORMED IN CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE, SCOPUS, PROQUEST DATABASES FROM MAY 2010 TO MAY 2020. THE SCREENING PROCESS WAS CONDUCTED BY TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY AND FINALLY AGREED TOGETHER. THE REVIEW WAS REPORTED ACCORDING TO PRISMA GUIDELINE. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 3210 STUDIES WERE EXAMINED, AND SEVEN PUBLICATIONS (SIX QUASI EXPERIMENTAL AND ONE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL), IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY AND EVALUATED. THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION (BLOOD PRESSURE, CORTISOL LEVEL, SLEEP QUALITY) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH (LIFE SATISFACTION, QUALITY OF LIFE, LONELINESS, DEATH ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, MOOD, HAPPINESS) IN OLDER ADULTS. CONCLUSION: LAUGHTER YOGA IS A COST-EFFECTIVE AND NO ADVERSE EFFECT IN OLDER ADULTS. IT CAN BE USED FOR HEALTH PROMOTION FOR OLDER ADULTS. 2020 18 2141 20 THE EFFECTS OF GROUP-BASED LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON MENTAL HEALTH IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: LAUGHTER YOGA IS CLAIMED TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH AND HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR WORLDWIDE. THERE HAS BEEN NO SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTION STUDIES AND THUS EVIDENCE OF ITS EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH IS UNCLEAR. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTIONS IMPROVED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN TWO STUDIES OVER THE SHORT TERM. THERE IS A LACK OF GOOD QUALITY EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT LAUGHTER YOGA IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHER GROUP-BASED INTERVENTIONS IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: WELL-CONDUCTED AND CLEARLY REPORTED TRIALS OF LAUGHTER YOGA ARE NEEDED BEFORE THE INTERVENTION CAN BE CONSIDERED AS AN EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION LAUGHTER YOGA IS CLAIMED TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH AND IS INCREASINGLY POPULAR WORLDWIDE. DESPITE ITS POPULARITY, THERE HAS BEEN NO SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LAUGHTER YOGA INTERVENTION STUDIES AND THUS EVIDENCE OF ITS EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH IS UNCLEAR. AIM THIS REVIEW AIMED TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF GROUP-BASED LAUGHTER YOGA ON IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH IN ADULTS. METHOD WE CONDUCTED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES (PUBLISHED FROM 1995 TO 2017). STUDY QUALITY WAS ASSESSED, THE EFFECT SIZES FOR INDIVIDUAL MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES WERE CALCULATED AND ALL REVIEWED STUDIES WERE NARRATIVELY SYNTHESIZED. RESULTS SIX EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WITH INCONSISTENT RESULTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. THE MOST PROMISING EFFECT OF LAUGHTER YOGA IS THE IMPROVEMENT OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, INDICATING SIGNIFICANT MEDIUM-LARGE EFFECT SIZES IN TWO STUDIES OVER THE SHORT TERM. THE OVERALL LEVEL OF EVIDENCE WAS WEAK DUE TO POOR STUDY QUALITY AND RISKS OF BIAS. DISCUSSION LAUGHTER YOGA SHOWS POTENTIAL, BUT CURRENTLY THERE IS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER GROUP-BASED INTERVENTIONS. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE THIS REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO CONDUCT RIGOROUS TRIALS OF LAUGHTER YOGA BEFORE THE INTERVENTION CAN BE CONSIDERED AS AN EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. 2018 19 961 24 EFFECTS OF A YOGA NIDRA ON THE LIFE STRESS AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA NIDRA ON LIFE STRESS AND SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. METHODS: THIS STUDY IS A NON-EQUIVALENT CONTROL GROUP PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN. FORTY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WERE SELECTED BY CONVENIENCE SAMPLING, WITH 20 ASSIGNED TO A YOGA NIDRA GROUP AND 20 TO A CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN BI-WEEKLY, 1-H SESSIONS OF YOGA NIDRA FOR 8 WEEKS. LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVEL WAS MEASURED USING A 10CM VISUAL ANALOG SCALE. SELF-ESTEEM SCORE WAS MEASURED BY ROSENBERG'S SELF-ESTEEM SCALE. RESULTS: THE YOGA NIDRA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVELS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM SCORES COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT YOGA NIDRA COULD ALLEVIATE THE LIFE STRESS INTENSITY LEVEL AND INCREASE THE SELF-ESTEEM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. 2019 20 244 23 A YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM REDUCES STRESS IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PATIENTS. FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE EXHIBIT REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND INCREASED STRESS LEVELS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM ON THE PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS. A TOTAL OF 46 VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PARTICIPATE IN A STRESS-REDUCTION PROGRAM FOR A 2-MONTH PERIOD (YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM-YCMP GROUP) (N = 25) OR AN UNTREATED GROUP FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME (CONTROL GROUP) (N = 21). THE LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. THE GROUPS WERE INITIALLY HOMOGENEOUS; HOWEVER, AFTER INTERVENTION, THE GROUPS DIVERGED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE YCMP GROUP EXHIBITED A REDUCTION OF THE STRESS (P < 0.05), ANXIETY (P < 0.000001), AND DEPRESSION (P < 0.00001) LEVELS, AS WELL AS A REDUCTION IN THE CONCENTRATION OF SALIVARY CORTISOL (P < 0.05). OUR STUDY SUGGESTS THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA AND COMPASSION MEDITATION PROGRAM MAY OFFER AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING PERCEIVED STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SALIVARY CORTISOL IN FAMILIAL CAREGIVERS. 2013