J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs.  2022 Jun;31(2):171-180. 10.12934/jkpmhn.2022.31.2.171.

Effects of the Smawell Mobile App on Psychological and Biological Factors in the Middle Aged and Older Adults Living Alone

• Kim KS
• Kim M
• Han MH

• KMID: 2531642
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2022.31.2.171

Abstract

Purpose
This study examined the effect of the smartphone-based intervention program using laughter therapy on psychological and biological factors of the middle aged and older adults living alone.
Methods
Data collection was conducted by a structured questionnaire about depression, loneliness, life satisfaction, and biological factors including general characteristics for the subjects residing in Cheonan, Korea. The collected data were analyzed by x² test, t-test using SPSS/WIN ver. 26.0. There were 28 experimental and 31 control subjects.
Results
The experimental group received laughter therapy for 4 weeks along with usual care. The control group received usual care only. After 4 weeks, there was a statistically significant difference in depression (t=-3.28, p=.002), life satisfaction (t=-2.89, p=.006), and Immunoglobulin M (IgM) (t=-2.36, p=.021) between the two groups.
Conclusion
This study presents growing evidence for the diverse applications and benefits of laughter and humor. When using laughter as a complementary method to enhance health, it will be more effective to tailor the program to the specific needs of the individual.

Keyword

Aged; Depression; Internet-based intervention; 노화; 우울; 인터넷 기반 중재