The effect of laughter therapy on happiness and self-esteem level in 5th grade students.

PROBLEM

The study was conducted to examine the effects of laughter therapy on happiness level and self-esteem in 5th grade students.

METHODS

This study used an experimental study with pretest posttest control group. The study population consisted of 5th grade students studying at a secondary school in Turkey. There were six branches in the 5th grade. Groups were randomly selected from among these 5th grade classes to include 29 students in the intervention group and 32 in the control group. Laughter therapy sessions were applied to the intervention group twice a week for 4 weeks. No intervention was offered to the control group. The data were collected by a questionnaire, the School Children's Happiness Inventory, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory.

RESULTS

It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the School Children's Happiness Inventory (p < .05) but no significant difference was found according to the groups' scores on the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (p > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, it was determined that laughter therapy increased the happiness level of students yet had no effect on their self-esteem. It is recommended to organize laughter therapy activities in schools to increase the happiness levels of students.