The Effect of Kataria Laughter Training (Laughter Yoga) on Hopelessness and Loneliness in Children with Leukemia

A person with leukemia experiences despair, frustration of the future, and a feeling of discomfort from the disease. One of the most effective therapeutic approaches is Kataria laughter therapy, which requires stimulation through laughter and relaxation through yoga. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of laughter yoga training on hopelessness and loneliness in children with leukemia. The research was a semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test and follow-up with the control group. The statistical population of this study was all children with leukemia who referred to the Omid Hospital of Isfahan in 2015-2016. A sample of 28 these children were selected by convenient sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental (13 subjects) and control (15 persons) groups. The instruments used in this study included the hopelessness scale for children (Kazdin, Rodgers, and Colbus, 1986) and children’s loneliness scale (Asher, Hymel, and Renshaw,1984). The data were analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA. The results showed that yoga exercises significantly reduced the sense of hopelessness and loneliness in the experimental group at post-test and follow-up stages (p <0.05). According to the results, it can be said that the use of Laughter Yoga exercises is effective in reducing feelings of frustration and loneliness. As a result, this treatment can be used as a complement to the main treatments for leukemia.