Effect of humour intervention programme on depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, cognitive function and sleep quality in Chinese nursing home residents.

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of an 8-week humour intervention programme on reducing depression and anxiety and improving subjective well-being, cognitive function and sleep quality in nursing home residents. A single-blinded and quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. Seventy-four older adults were recruited from May 2018-September 2018, with 37 older adults in the humour group received humour intervention and 37 in the control group received no intervention. The intervention was an 8-week humour intervention programme for older adults to learn to use humour and release their emotions. Primary outcomes include depression, anxiety and subjective well-being and secondary outcomes were cognitive function and sleep quality. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the differences of outcome measures between the two groups. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 8 and 16weeks. There was no significant difference between the two groups at baseline. The adherence to the sessions of humour intervention over the 8-weeks was 97.6%. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant improvement in depression, anxiety, subjective well-being and sleep quality during the postintervention (8weeks) and follow-up (16weeks) periods in the humour group versus the control group. However, a significant time×group interaction for cognitive function was only found during postintervention. The humour intervention programme was effective in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms and increasing subjective well-being, cognitive function and sleep quality in older adults. Physical and mental health problems are common among older adults in nursing homes. The study demonstrated that humour intervention has feasibility and potential to be used as an effective non-pharmacological intervention in improving well-beings of Chinese nursing home residents. ChiCTR1800016148.