Laughter Yoga's Impact on Parental Stress, Burnout, and Self-Efficacy

The present study aims to investigate the effects of laughter yoga on stress levels, burnout, and parental self-efficacy among parents of children with intellectual disabilities. The specific hypotheses of the study are as follows: Hypothesis 1: The mean salivary cortisol levels of the intervention group will be significantly lower than those of the control group. Hypothesis 2: The perceived stress levels of the intervention group will be significantly lower than those of the control group. Hypothesis 3: The parental self-efficacy levels of the intervention group will be significantly higher than those of the control group. Hypothesis 4: The burnout levels of the intervention group will be significantly lower than those of the control group. To assess the effectiveness of the laughter yoga intervention, participants in the intervention group will be compared to a control group of parents who also have children with intellectual disabilities but will not receive any form of intervention. The intervention will consist of a total of eight laughter yoga sessions, conducted twice a week over a four-week period.