The Effects of Laughter Therapy on Perceived Stress and Quality of Life in Women With Breast Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy: A Parallel-Group Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

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.