EFFECT OF LAUGHTER THERAPY ON DEPRESSION LEVEL IN ELDERLY IN A NURSING HOME, NORTH SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Background: Depression level among elderly remains high in Indonesia. One of efforts to decrease depression is laughter therapy, which is assumed able to lower depression.Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of laughter therapy on depression level in elderly at Nursing Home of Binjai Integrated Social Service Unit for the Elderly, North Sumatra, Indonesia.Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest posttest with control group design. Forty-two participants were selected using a purposive sampling, with twenty-one participants were randomly assigned in each group. An experimental group received one-hour laughter therapy for 3 times a week in 4 weeks, and a control group received usual care. Depression was measured using Geriatric Depression Scale-15. Data were collected from April to June 2018. Independent and dependent t-test were used for data analysis.Results: Findings revealed that the level of depression in elderly significantly decreased in the experimental group (p<.05), but there was no significant change of it in the control group (p=.648). Between the two groups, there was a significant difference in depression level in elderly (p<.05).Conclusion: Laughter therapy could reduce depression among elderly. Therefore, this therapy can be used as one of interventions in nursing practice, especially at nursing homes.