The Effects of Laughter Therapy on Perceived Stress and Quality of Life in Women With Breast Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy

Background Women with breast cancer experience various symptoms secondary to chemotherapy that reduce their quality of life and increase their stress levels. Objective To evaluate the effects of laughter therapy on perceived stress levels and quality of life in women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy using a parallel-group randomized controlled pilot trial. Methods Forty-two women were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received 40 minutes of laughter therapy twice a week for 8 weeks. The control group received routine treatment. The women in both groups completed the Perceived Stress Scale and SF-12 Health Survey at baseline, week 5, and week 9 after randomization. Results There was a significant decrease in the mean Perceived Stress Scale scores in the intervention group compared with those in the control group at weeks 5 and 9 compared with baseline, and the difference between groups by measurement week was significant ( P < .001). Women in the intervention group had higher Physical Component Summary-12 and Mental Component Summary-12 scores in weeks 5 and 9 compared with those in the control group, and there was a significant difference between groups in terms of change in the Physical Component Summary-12 and Mental Component Summary-12 mean scores over time ( P < .001). Conclusion Laughter therapy is possible to use as a nursing intervention to reduce the perceived stress levels and increase the quality of life of women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. Implications for Practice Nurses can apply laughter therapy in the symptom management of women receiving chemotherapy.