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.

摘要

作者旨在调查笑声疗法 (LT) 计划对韩国已婚移民妇女的文化适应压力、焦虑、抑郁、唾液皮质醇和唾液 IgA 的影响。采用了随机等待名单控制设计。19 名实验组参与者每周接受 2 次 LT，持续 2 周，而等待名单对照组的 22 名参与者在同一期间未接受治疗，但随后接受了治疗。在干预完成后和 2 周后立即测量结果。与对照组相比，实验组的文化适应压力、焦虑、抑郁和唾液皮质醇水平显着降低。然而，对于唾液IgA，实验组与对照组相比没有显示出统计学上显着的下降。