Academic Journal
Effect of laughter yoga on fatigue, sleep quality and psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial.
| Title: | Effect of laughter yoga on fatigue, sleep quality and psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial. |
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| Authors: | Kaplan N; Atatürk University, Department of Internal Medicine Nursing, Erzurum, Turkey. Electronic address: nurgul.kaplan@gop.edu.tr., Tan M; Atatürk University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Internal Medicine Nursing Professor, Erzurum, Turkey., Aksoy D; Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Tokat, Turkey. |
| Source: | Multiple sclerosis and related disorders [Mult Scler Relat Disord] 2026 May; Vol. 109, pp. 107098. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 26. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier B. V Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 101580247 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2211-0356 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 22110348 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Mult Scler Relat Disord Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Amsterdam] : Elsevier B. V. |
| MeSH Terms: | Fatigue*/etiology , Fatigue*/therapy , Fatigue*/rehabilitation , Laughter Therapy*/methods , Multiple Sclerosis*/complications , Multiple Sclerosis*/psychology , Multiple Sclerosis*/therapy , Multiple Sclerosis*/rehabilitation , Sleep Quality*, Sleep Wake Disorders/etiology ; Sleep Wake Disorders/therapy ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Laughter ; Psychological Well-Being ; Treatment Outcome |
| Abstract: | Background and Purpose: Symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and impaired psychological well-being are common in individuals Multiple Sclerosis (MS). However, studies on the use of laughter yoga, a non-invasive intervention method, are very limited in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of laughter yoga on fatigue, sleep quality and psychological well-being in individuals with MS. Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 42 people with MS were randomly assigned to intervention or control group. The intervention group received a total of 12 sessions of laughter yoga. Descriptive Information Form, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS) were used to collect data. Results: Laughter yoga was associated with improvements in fatigue and sleep outcomes. Fatigue severity decreased substantially in the intervention group (Cohen's d = 2.785), with no meaningful change observed in the control group. Sleep quality improved in the intervention group, as indicated by reduced Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores (p < 0.001, d = 2.921). Psychological well-being increased within the intervention group (d = -1.505); however, the between-group effect at post-test was small (d = 0.485). Conclusion: Laughter yoga showed statistically significant results in terms of decreasing fatigue level, increasing sleep quality and psychological well-being in individuals with MS. The findings suggest that laughter yoga is a low-cost and effective complementary psycho-social intervention that can be used in clinical settings within the scope of nursing practice. This intervention offers an evidence-based approach that can be integrated into nursing care to manage fatigue and sleep problems and improve psychological well-being in individuals with MS. For the generalizability of the effects of laughter yoga, studies with larger samples are needed. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known financial or personal conflicts of interest that could have influenced the findings or interpretation of this study. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Laughter yoga; Multiple sclerosis; Nurse; Psychological well-being; Sleep quality fatigue |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260301 Date Completed: 20260709 Latest Revision: 20260731 |
| Update Code: | 20260801 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.msard.2026.107098 |
| PMID: | 41764939 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2211-0356 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.msard.2026.107098 |