Humor Interventions Research Articles

Re-reading Jason Compson through Humor Interventions

Re-reading Jason Compson through Humor Interventions

Humor Interventions in Faulkner’s Novels

Humor Interventions in Faulkner’s Novels

Humor Interventions in Faulkner’s Novels

Humor Interventions in Faulkner’s Novels

Humor intervention program for children with chronic diseases

PurposeThis study developed and implemented a humor intervention program for school-aged children with chronic diseases. MethodsThirty-three children with atopic dermatitis and type 1 diabetes were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group included 17 children while the control group included 16 children. The experimental group participated in 6 weekly sessions of a 60-minute humor intervention. The subject and type of humorous material was collected from a survey of parents and children. Outcome measures assessed pre- and post-intervention included stress, behavior profile scores, and resilience. ResultsThere was a significant decrease in behavior problems and increase in resiliency in experimental group compared to control group. There was no difference in stress cortisol measures between the groups. ConclusionsThis study was the first to examine a humor intervention for children with chronic diseases in South Korea and offers practical implications for humor interventions in pediatric nursing.

Humor in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Humor has neurophysiological effects influencing the release of cortisol, which may have a direct impact on the immune system. Laughter is associated with a decreased production of inflammatory cytokines both in the general population and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our objective was to explore the effects of humor on serum cytokines [particularly interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and cortisol levels in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), after a standard intervention (120 min of visual comedy). We enrolled 58 females with SLE from consecutive patients assessed in the Montreal General Hospital lupus clinic. The subjects who consented to participate were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention (watching 120 min of comedy) or control group (watching a 120 min documentary). Measurements of cytokine and serum cortisol levels as well as 24-h urine cortisol were taken before, during, and after the interventions. We compared serum cytokine levels and serum and 24-h urine cortisol levels in the humor and control groups and performed regression analyses of these outcomes, adjusting for demographics and the current use of prednisone. There were no significant differences between the control and humor groups in demographics or clinical variables. Baseline serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and B-cell activating factor were also similar in both groups. There was no evidence of a humor effect in terms of decreasing cytokine levels, although there was some suggestion of lowered cortisol secretion in the humor group based the 24-h urinary cortisol levels in a subgroup. In contrast to what has been published for RA, we saw no clear effects of humor in altering cytokine levels in SLE, although interesting trends were seen for lower cortisol levels after humor intervention compared with the control group.

Effectiveness of humor intervention for patients with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThe primary aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the possible therapeutic effects of a 10-session humor intervention program in improving rehabilitative outcomes and the effects of the intervention on patients' sense of humor among patients with schizophrenia. MethodThirty subjects were randomly assigned into either the intervention (humor skill training) group (n = 15) or the control (doing handwork) group (n = 15). The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests and ANOVA. FindingsRepeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted to examine the differences across conditions and time. A group by time interaction effect was observed on all of the outcomes, except positive symptoms of PANSS. The time main effect was also significant on the total score (p < 0.005) and the negative symptoms score (p < 0.001) of the PANSS. ConclusionsThe implementation of humor skill training in a mental health service can improve rehabilitative outcomes and sense of humor for schizophrenia patients who were in the rehabilitation stage.

An Integrative Review on Nursing Studies Related to Humor.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper was to describe the attributes of nursing with humor based on an integrative review and to present basic information for developing humor intervention programs for children.METHODS: Using combinations of the terms 'nursing' and 'humor' as key words, the researchers searched four electronic databases to relevant identify studies. Thirteen studies were selected through full text screening of related research published in academic journals from January 1993 to April 2013.RESULTS: Through in-depth discussion and investigation of the relevant literature, three components emerged; 1) using instruments of coping for stress relief, 2) symptoms relief through pleasant feeling, and 3) job satisfaction and work improvement of nurse using humor.CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that humor is valuable as a nursing intervention for children and the possibility of bringing about positive results in nursing care if nurses utilize the sense of humor as fully as they can. Therefore, it is critical for nurses to develop a diversity of humor interventions for children as well as measurements to test quality and quantity of humor used in clinical pediatric settings.

Humor therapy as a new concept in palliative care.

e19583 Background: Laughter is the best medicine. In our experience terminally ill patients still appreciate humor as much as healthy individuals. The purpose of humor therapy is the improvement of general contentedness and well-being of the patients by using several different humor interventions such as spontaenous joking, performing magic or the use of music instruments. Our project started in 2008 by training all staff on our palliative care unit (PCU) in humor techniques for use in everyday clinical practice and communication. The aim of our pilot study was to determine the feasibility of humor therapy as an additional offer for our terminal ill patients. Methods: In this prospective study all PCU team members were offered training by professional clowns in 12 teaching courses. Lessons consisted of interactive lectures, role plays, learning of humor techniques, use of “humor equipment” and development of patient questionnaire. Trained PCU members used humor techniques as part of routine care for the volunteering patients. Additionally twice a month a special humor day is held with professional clown performances for patients, their friends and family members. During the project the interior decoration of our PCU is also changed. Results: 24/29 members of our team participated in the teaching. More than 400 patients have attended the performances of the clowns with only few refusals. Most patients taking part in the humor interventions either by our staff or the clinic clowns experienced pleasure and contentment. When measuring pain by visual analog scale (VAS) the pain was less intense. Communication with depressed patients improved. Our study on quality of life (QoL) and refinement of humor techniques is ongoing. Updated data will be presented. Addtionally the project has had a positive influence on our team's job satisfaction and the working atmosphere. Regularly supervised courses for refreshing knowledge of theory and practice of humor are essential. Conclusions: Humor therapy is a new concept in palliative care. In our pilot study humor therapy was well accepted by patients and improved their QoL. Humor techniques are inexpensive, can easily be learned and had high acceptance rates by staff and patients. Further formal study on humor techniques and QoL is ongoing. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Impact of laughter on air trapping in severe chronic obstructive lung disease

Static and dynamic hyperinflation is an important factor of exertional dyspnea in patients with severe COPD. This proof-of-concept intervention trial sought to study whether laughter can reduce hyperinflation through repetitive expiratory efforts in patients with severe COPD. For small groups of patients with severe COPD (n = 19) and healthy controls (n = 10) Pello the clown performed a humor intervention triggering regular laughter. Plethysmography was done before and up to 24 hours after intervention. Laughing and smiling were quantified with video-analysis. Real-time breathing pattern was assessed with the LifeShirt, and the psychological impact of the intervention was monitored with self-administered questionnaires. The intervention led to a reduction of TLC in COPD (p = 0.04), but not in controls (p = 0.9). TLC reduction was due to a decline of the residual volume. Four (22 [CI 95% 7 to 46] %) patients were > or = 10% responders. The frequency of smiling and TLC at baseline were independent predictors of TLC response. The humor intervention improved cheerfulness, but not seriousness nor bad mood. In conclusion, smiling induced by a humor intervention was able to reduce hyperinflation in patients with severe COPD. A smiling-derived breathing technique might complement pursed-lips breathing in patients with symptomatic obstruction.

Hope and Humor: Using the Hope Scale in Outcome Studies

Hope has been identified as a factor measured by the Hope Scale to evaluate effectiveness of treatment in outcome studies. Hope is defined as a goal-oriented cognitive construct comprised of two components, (a) the Pathways component is the individual's sense of planning strategies to reach goals and (b) the Agency component is the individual's determination to implement these goal-focused strategies. Using a Solomon Four-Group design, the relationship of the Hope Scale pretest to the posttest scores was evaluated. This study also explored the use of humor (a source of hope) in elevating total Hope Scale scores, the Agency component scores, and the Pathways component scores. 80 undergraduate students (57 women, 23 men) were ran domly assigned to one of four groups. Analysis indicated that administering the Hope Scale prior to treatment was not significantly associated with posttest scores, and the one-time 15-min. exposure to the humor intervention of reading Far Side comics was not sufficient to elevate scores on the Hope Scale.

HOPE AND HUMOR: USING THE HOPE SCALE IN OUTCOME STUDIES

Hope has been identified as a factor measured by the Hope Scale to evaluate effectiveness of treatment in outcome studies. Hope is defined as a goal-oriented cognitive construct comprised of two components, (a) the Pathways component is the individual's sense of planning strategies to reach goals and (b) the Agency component is the individual's determination to implement these goal-focused strategies. Using a Solomon Four-Group design, the relationship of the Hope Scale pretest to the posttest scores was evaluated. This study also explored the use of humor (a source of hope) in elevating total Hope Scale scores, the Agency component scores, and the Pathways component scores. 80 undergraduate students (57 women, 23 men) were ran domly assigned to one of four groups. Analysis indicated that administering the Hope Scale prior to treatment was not significantly associated with posttest scores, and the one-time 15-min. exposure to the humor intervention of reading Far Side comics was not sufficient to elevate scores on the Hope Scale.

Use of humour in medical teaching

Humour, whether considered cognitively or affectively, is complex and ubiquitous. It is claimed to have adjunctive value in clinical medicine. Claims regarding its effects also indicate that humour can make a valuable contribution to the educational process. Humour is understood to reduce anxiety and stress, build confidence, improve productivity, heighten interest, reduce boredom and encourage divergent thinking, yet it has been difficult to establish positive value for humour in helping student learning. Approximately equal numbers of studies of the effects of humour on student learning have been negative and positive. Informal observation suggests its use in medical teaching is widespread yet little reference is made to the use of humour in teaching in the medical literature. Research into the role of humour in medical teaching is made difficult by the complex nature of the production, perception and appreciation of humour, by the difficulty in contriving humour in controlled settings, by the importance of the setting as a component of the humour, and by the difficulties in establishing outcome measures for humour interventions. Given these difficulties it is understandable that medical teachers might use humour but are unlikely to study it or write about it.

The power of humor and play as nursing interventions for a child with cancer: A Case Report

Many benefits of humor and play have been documented in the literature. The purpose of this Case Report was to assess the benefits of humor and play with a 5-year-old retinoblastoma patient in an ambulatory care setting. The use of humor in the forms of tickling, joke-telling, play on words, funny movies, silly stickers, and medical play was found to be helpful in decreasing the anxiety of a pediatric oncology patient during insertion of his Infusaport needle. This article reviews the benefits of humor and play and provides a brief discussion of the developmental aspects of humor and play theory. Implications for further nursing research in the area of humor interventions are also discussed. The promotion of appropriate humor and play use by all health care professionals is encouraged.

Unconventional living kidney donors - Attitudes and use among transplant centers

The accessibility of laughter and humour make them attractive choices for self-care, and integrative medicine. There is a growing body of literature, but both fields are fragmented and the overall evidence has not been systematically reviewed. The relationship between health and personal development is increasingly recognized. This review scopes the evidence for laughter and humour interventions from the perspective of their potential benefits on personal development.A systematic scoping review used Joanna Briggs guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Scoping Review extension (PRISMA-ScR). All-population laughter and humour interventions described in primary and secondary research from 1970, and in English, were searched in Web of Science and PubMed/Medline.Analysis of 240 primary research articles (k), and 11 systematic reviews (K), identified k = 564 discrete articles with studies involving 574,611 participants (n). Twelve large studies (n >15,000) contributed 77 % of participants. Classification analysis found more research relating to humour (k = 445, n = 334,996) than laughter (k = 119, n = 239,615) and identified diverse personal development outcomes associated with Biological, Psychological, Social, Environmental, and Behavioural (BPSE-B) factors.This review presents growing evidence for the diverse applications and benefits of laughter and humour. Multiple opportunities for self-care and interventional applications are described. The consideration of personal development outcomes may support tailored applications according to specific needs and objectives. An umbrella Personal Development Theory of laughter and humour, inclusive humour and laughter definitions, and a humour-laughter-affect model are proposed to unify the fields.

Humor intervention deserves our attention.

Humor intervention deserves our attention.