Merin thomas
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Title: Suffering in silence: Effect of composite package of laughter yoga on perceived stress, quality of sleep and caregiver burden among caregivers of mentally ill clients in AIIMS, New Delhi
Biography
Biography: Merin thomas
Abstract
Background: The well-being of an ill person is directly related to the nature and quality of the care provided by their caregiver. These demands can bring significant levels of stress for the caregiver and can affect their overall quality of life.
Aim: To assess the effect of a composite package of laughter yoga on perceived stress, quality of sleep and caregiver burden among caregivers of mentally ill clients in AIIMS, New Delhi.
Methodology: A Quasi-experimental study of 60 caregivers of mentally ill patients split into control (n=30) and experimental group (n=30). The caregivers in the experimental group were administered 7 sessions of laughter yoga consecutively. The pretest was taken before the intervention and post-test were taken on the 8th day and 14th day. Data was collected using Perceived stress scale, Pittsburgh sleeps quality index and Zarit caregiver burden.
Results: In the experimental group after 7 sessions of laughter yoga there was a significant reduction in perceived stress scores of the caregivers on 8th day (p<0.001) and 14th day (p<0.001); a significant reduction in quality of sleep scores on 8th day (p<0.001) and 14th day (p<0.001) and in the caregiver burden scores on 8th day (p<0.001) and 14th day (p<0.001) compared to baseline values.
Conclusion: Caregivers of mentally ill clients suffer from high levels of stress and caregiver burden as well as poor quality of sleep. Therefore, special attention should be given to managing the caregiver’s stress and burden so as to improve the quality of care provided by them.