Adding amusement to anxiety: uses of humor in informal caregiver support groups

References

• Albrecht, T. L., & Adelman, M. B. (1987). Communicating social support: A theoretical perspective. In T. L. Albrecht & M. B. Adelman (Eds.), Communicating social support (pp. 18–39). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
   Google Scholar
• Allen, A. P., Buckley, M. M., Cryan, J. F., Ní Chorcoráin, A., Dinan, T. G., Kearney, P. M., … Molloy, D. W. (2019). Informal caregiving for dementia patients: The contribution of patient characteristics and behaviours to caregiver burden. Age and Ageing, 49(1), 52–56. doi:10.1093/ageing/afz128
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Alpert, J. M., & Womble, F. E. (2015). Coping as a caregiver for an elderly family member. Health Communication, 30(7), 714–721. doi:10.1080/10410236.2013.879560
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Alzheimer’s Association. (2022). 2022 Alzheimer’s Disease facts and figures (pp. 1–118). Retrieved October 1, 2022, from https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-facts-and-figures.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Badger, T. A., Segrin, C., Sikorskii, A., Pasvogel, A., Weihs, K., Lopez, A. M., & Chalasani, P. (2020). Randomized controlled trial of supportive care interventions to manage psychological distress and symptoms in Latinas with breast cancer and their informal caregivers. Psychology & Health, 35(1), 87–106. doi:10.1080/08870446.2019.1626395
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bennett, M. P., & Lengacher, C. (2007a). Humor and laughter may influence health: III. Laughter and health outcomes. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 5(1), 37–40. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem041
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bennett, M. P., & Lengacher, C. (2007b). Humor and laughter may influence health IV. Humor and immune function. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6(2), 159–164. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem149
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Berk, R. A. (2015). The greatest veneration: Humor as a coping strategy for the challenges of aging. Social Work in Mental Health, 13(1), 30–47. doi:10.1080/15332985.2014.890152
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bethea, L. S., Travis, S. S., & Pecchioni, L. (2000). Family caregivers’ use of humor in conveying information about caring for dependent older adults. Health Communication, 12(4), 361–376. doi:10.1207/S15327027HC1204_3
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bitterly, T. B., Brooks, A. W., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2017). Risky business: When humor increases and decreases status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112(3), 431–455. doi:10.1037/pspi0000079
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Booth-Butterfield, M., Booth-Butterfield, S., & Wanzer, M. (2007). Funny students cope better: Patterns of humor enactment and coping effectiveness. Communication Quarterly, 55(3), 299–315. doi:10.1080/01463370701490232
   Google Scholar
• Booth-Butterfield, M., Wanzer, M. B., Weil, N., & Krezmien, E. (2014). Communication of humor during bereavement: Intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion management strategies. Communication Quarterly, 62(4), 436–454. doi:10.1080/01463373.2014.922487
   Google Scholar
• Brodaty, H., & Donkin, M. (2009). Family caregivers of people with dementia. Clinical Research, 11(2), 217–228. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2009.11.2/hbrodaty
   Google Scholar
• Brodaty, H., Low, L.-F., Liu, Z., Fletcher, J., Roast, J., Goodenough, B., & Chenoweth, L. (2014). Successful ingredients in the SMILE study: Resident, staff, and management factors influence the effects of humor therapy in residential aged care. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(12), 1427–1437. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2013.08.005
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cutrona, C. E., & Russell, D. W. (1990). Type of social support and specific stress: Toward a theory of optimal matching. In B. R. Sarason, I. G. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Social support: An interactional view (pp. 319–366). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
   Google Scholar
• Davis, S. M., & Afifi, T. D. (2019). The strong Black Woman collective theory: Determining the prosocial functions of strength regulation in groups of Black Women friends. Journal of Communication, 69(1), 1–25. doi:10.1093/joc/jqy065
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dean, R. A. K., & Gregory, D. M. (2004). Humor and laughter in palliative care: An ethnographic investigation. Palliative & Supportive Care, 2(2), 139–148. doi:10.1017/S1478951504040192
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Demjén, Z. (2016). Laughing at cancer: Humour, empowerment, solidarity and coping online. Journal of Pragmatics, 101, 18–30. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2016.05.010
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Donelan, K., Hill, C. A., Hoffman, C., Scoles, K., Feldman, P. H., Levine, C., & Gould, D. (2002). Challenged to care: Informal caregivers in a changing health system. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 21(4), 222–231. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.21.4.222
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dunbar, R. I. M., Baron, R., Frangou, A., Pearce, E., van Leeuwen, E. J. C., Stow, J., … van Vugt, M. (2012). Social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1731), 1161–1167. doi:10.1098/rspb.2011.1373
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Faw, M. H., Matter, M. M., & Luzinski, C. H. (2022). Preliminary evaluation and implications of the SPECAL method as an intervention for informal dementia care partners. Aging & Mental Health, 26(10), 1971–1978. doi:10.1080/13607863.2022.2032598
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fogarty, M., & Elliot, D. L. (2020). The role of humour in the social care professions: An exploratory study. The British Journal of Social Work, 50(3), 778–796. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcz027
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fowler, C., & Kim, M. T. (2015). Home visits by care providers – Influences on health outcomes for caregivers of homebound older adults with dementia. Geriatric Nursing, 36(1), 25–29. doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2014.09.002
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Freud, S. (1905/1960). Jokes and their relation to the unconscious. J. Strachey ( Trans.) New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
   Google Scholar
• Fritz, H. L. (2020). Why are humor styles associated with well-being, and does social competence matter? Examining relations to psychological and physical well-being, reappraisal, and social support. Personality and Individual Differences, 154, 109641. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.109641
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Goldsmith, D. J. (2000). Soliciting advice: The role of sequential placement in mitigating face threat. Communication Monographs, 67(1), 1–19. doi:10.1080/03637750009376492
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Grandi, A., Guidetti, G., Converso, D., Bosco, N., & Colombo, L. (2021). I nearly died laughing: Humor in funeral industry operators. Current Psychology, 40(12), 6098–6109. doi:10.1007/s12144-019-00547-9
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hall, J. A. (2010). Is it something I said? Sense of humor and partner embarrassment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 28(3), 383–405. doi:10.1177/0265407510384422
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hall, J. A. (2017). Humor in romantic relationships: A meta-analysis: Humor meta-analysis. Personal Relationships, 24(2), 306–322. doi:10.1111/pere.12183
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Henman, L. (2001). Humor as a coping mechanism: Lessons from POWs. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research, 14(1), 83–94. doi:10.1515/humr.14.1.83
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ho, S. K. (2016). Relationships among humour, self-esteem, and social support to burnout in school teachers. Social Psychology of Education, 19(1), 41–59. doi:10.1007/s11218-015-9309-7
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Holmes, J. (2006). Sharing a laugh: Pragmatic aspects of humor and gender in the workplace. Journal of Pragmatics, 38(1), 26–50. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2005.06.007
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Howland, M., & Simpson, J. A. (2014). Attachment orientations and reactivity to humor in a social support context. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31(1), 114–137. doi:10.1177/0265407513488016
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kershaw, T., Northouse, L., Kritpracha, C., Schafenacker, A., & Mood, D. (2004). Coping strategies and quality of life in women with advanced breast cancer and their family caregivers. Psychology & Health, 19(2), 139–155. doi:10.1080/08870440310001652687
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• León-Pérez, J. M., Cantero-Sánchez, F. J., Fernández-Canseco, Á., & León-Rubio, J. M. (2021). Effectiveness of a humor-based training for reducing employees’ distress. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11177. doi:10.3390/ijerph182111177
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lillie, H. M., Chernichky-Karcher, S., & Venetis, M. K. (2021). Dyadic coping and discrete emotions during COVID-19: Connecting the communication theory of resilience with relational uncertainty. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(6), 1844–1868. doi:10.1177/02654075211009302
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lindlof, T. R., & Taylor, B. C. (2019). Introduction to qualitative communication research. In T. R. Lindlof & B. C. Taylor (Eds.), Qualitative communication research methods (4th ed., pp. 1–24). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
   Google Scholar
• Lockwood, N. L., & Yoshimura, S. M. (2014). The heart of the matter: The effects of humor on well-being during recovery from cardiovascular disease. Health Communication, 29(4), 410–420. doi:10.1080/10410236.2012.762748
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Low, L.-F., Goodenough, B., Fletcher, J., Xu, K., Casey, A.-N., Chenoweth, L., … Brodaty, H. (2014). The effects of humor therapy on nursing home residents measured using observational methods: The SMILE cluster randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 15(8), 564–569. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2014.03.017
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mak, W., Baez, A., Daugeard, C., & Arling, G. (2018). Caregiver humor styles may affect quality of life in people with dementia. Innovation in Aging, 2(S1), 289. doi:10.1093/geroni/igy023.1067
   Google Scholar
• Martin, R. A. (2002). Is laughter the best medicine? Humor, laughter, and physical health. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(6), 216–220. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00204
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Martin, R. A., & Lefcourt, H. M. (2004). Sense of humor and physical health: Theoretical issues, recent findings, and future directions. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research, 17(1–2), 1–20. doi:10.1515/humr.2004.005
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Martin, R. A., Puhlik-Doris, P., Larsen, G., Gray, J., & Weir, K. (2003). Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the humor styles questionnaire. Journal of Research in Personality, 37(1), 48–75. doi:10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00534-2
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Marziali, E., McDonald, L., & Donahue, P. (2008). The role of coping humor in the physical and mental health of older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 12(6), 713–718. doi:10.1080/13607860802154374
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McCullars, A., Richie, F. J., Klibert, J. J., & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2021). What’s so funny? Adaptive versus maladaptive humor styles as mediators between early maladaptive schemas and resilience. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research, 34(1), 93–111. doi:10.1515/humor-2019-0082
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Moran, C. C., & Hughes, L. P. (2006). Coping with stress: Social work students and humour. Social Work Education, 25(5), 501–517. doi:10.1080/02615470600738890
   Google Scholar
• Raviv, A. (2014). Humor in the “Twilight zone”: My work as a medical clown with patients with dementia. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 32(3), 226–231. doi:10.1177/0898010113513511
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Rnic, K., Dozois, D. J. A., & Martin, R. A. (2016). Cognitive distortions, humor styles, and depression. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 348–362. doi:10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Silva, A. L., Teixeira, H. J., Teixeira, M. J. C., & Freitas, S. (2013). The needs of informal caregivers of elderly people living at home: An integrative review. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 27(4), 792–803. doi:10.1111/scs.12019
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sliter, M., Kale, A., & Yuan, Z. (2014). Is humor the best medicine? The buffering effect of coping humor on traumatic stressors in firefighters. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(2), 257–272. doi:10.1002/job.1868
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sołtys, A., & Tyburski, E. (2020). Predictors of mental health problems in formal and informal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. BMC Psychiatry, 20(435), 1–11. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02822-7
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Stephson, A. J. (2017). Benefits of medical clowning: A summary of the research. Room Circus Medical Clowning. https://medicalclownproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Benefits-Medical-Clowning-White-Paper-2017-Final.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Takeda, M., Hashimoto, R., Kudo, T., Okochi, M., Tagami, S., Morihara, T., … Tanaka, T. (2010). Laughter and humor as complementary and alternative medicines for dementia patients. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 10(28), 1–7. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-10-28
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Tracy, S. J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “big-tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837–851. doi:10.1177/1077800410383121
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tracy, S. J. (2018). A phronetic iterative approach to data analysis in qualitative research. Journal of Qualitative Research, 19(2), 61–76.
   Google Scholar
• Tracy, S. J. (2020). Research design: Sampling, research proposals, ethics, and the IRB. In S. J. Tracy (Ed.), Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact (2nd ed., pp. 75–103). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
   Google Scholar
• Tuttman, S. (1991). On utilizing humor in group psychotherapy. Group, 15(4), 246–256. doi:10.1007/BF01547359
   Google Scholar
• Verbakel, E. (2014). Informal caregiving and well-being in Europe: What can ease the negative consequences for caregivers?. Journal of European Social Policy, 24(5), 424–441. doi:10.1177/0958928714543902
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wanzer, M. B., Booth‐Butterfield, M., & Booth‐Butterfield, S. (1996). Are funny people popular? An examination of humor orientation, loneliness, and social attraction. Communication Quarterly, 44(1), 42–52. doi:10.1080/01463379609369999
   Google Scholar
• Wanzer, M., Booth-Butterfield, M., & Booth-Butterfield, S. (2005). “If we didn’t use humor, we’d cry”: Humorous coping communication in health care settings. Journal of Health Communication, 10(2), 105–125. doi:10.1080/10810730590915092
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wilson, R., Rochon, E., Mihailidis, A., & Leonard, C. (2012). Examining success of communication strategies used by formal caregivers assisting individuals with Alzheimer’s disease during an activity of daily living. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55(2), 328–341. doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2011/10-0206)
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yates, M. E., Tennstedt, S., & Chang, B.-H. (1999). Contributors to and mediators of psychological well-being for informal caregivers. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 54B(1), P12–P22. doi:10.1093/geronb/54B.1.P12
   Google Scholar
• Yim, J. (2016). Therapeutic benefits of laughter in mental health: A theoretical review. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, 239(3), 243–249. doi:10.1620/tjem.239.243
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zajdman, A. (1995). Humorous face-threatening acts: Humor as strategy. Journal of Pragmatics, 23(3), 325–339. doi:10.1016/0378-2166(94)00038-G
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ziv, A. (2010). The social function of humor in interpersonal relationships. Society, 47(1), 11–18. doi:10.1007/s12115-009-9283-9
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar