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Abstract
The authors aimed to investigate the effects of a laughter therapy (LT) program on the acculturative stress, anxiety, depression, salivary cortisol, and salivary IgA of married immigrant women in South Korea. A randomized waiting-list control design was utilized. The 19 experimental group participants were given LT twice a week for 2 weeks, whereas the 22 participants in the waiting-list control group received no treatment during the same period but received it afterward. Outcomes were measured right after the completion of the intervention and 2 weeks later. The experimental group showed significantly decreased levels of acculturative stress, anxiety, depression, and salivary cortisol compared to the control group. As for salivary IgA, however, the experimental group showed no statistically significant decrease compared to the control group. An LT program can be a good option for married immigrant women undergoing acculturation experiences in consideration of its effectiveness.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Funding
This work was supported by Chung-Ang University Research Grant in 2020, and Gwangju University Research Grant in 2021.