“Assess the Effectiveness of Laughter Therapy on Depressive Symptoms Among Adults at Selected Tsunami Affected Area in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu”.

Laughter is extremely therapeutic for depression as it helps to release certain neurotransmitters from the brain cells as well as help people to stay connected and share their feelings and emotional moments of life. It is every Nurses role to emphasize the importance of good laughter therapy for the welfare of patient society. The study aimed to assess effectiveness of laughter therapy on depressive symptoms among adults at selected Tsunami affected area in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. Quasi experimental one group pre test-post test design was used to find out the effectiveness of laughter therapy on depression. The mean depressive symptoms before laughter therapy was 35.7 ± 16.2 and the score was reduced to 26.2 ± 12.5 after undergoing the laughter therapy. The mean reduction of depressive symptoms was 9.4 ± 10.7 and the same was statistically very highly significant. (P<0.001). The significant reduction was considered as the effectiveness of laughter therapy on depressive symptoms.