Prescribing Laughter for Sleep and Wellbeing in UAE University Students

Sleep Clinical Trial

Official title:

Can a Laughter Prescription Improve Psychological Health, Wellbeing, and Sleep in Zayed University Students?

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04171245
• Other study ID #: ZU19_064_F
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 26, 2019
• Est. completion date: April 15, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: October 2019
• Source: Zayed University
• Contact: Teresa Arora, PhD
• Phone: +971 2 599 3160
• Email: Teresa.Arora[@]zu.ac.ae
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study is in line with the UAEs national drive to promote happiness and wellbeing. University students risk impaired psychological health, wellbeing, and sleep due to academic pressures. This research is the first to assess the feasibility of using a laughter prescription to improve psychological health and sleep in Zayed University students. Forty students will be recruited, and randomized to a control or laughter group.

Description:

The Laughie is a self created app or tool. It is a one minute recording of the user's joyful laughter on their smartphone. Once recorded, the user uses it by playing back the recording and laughing with it for the duration of the one minute. The Laughie acts as a prompt to guide the one minute of laughter.

In this research the experimental group each record their own Laughie, demonstrated and supported by the PI(s). They are then prescribed to laugh with their Laughie: 3x a day the first week (morning, lunch, and afternoon) and at least 2x a day during the second week. Immediately after using their Laughie they fill in a Laughie checklist to record whether they laughed for the full minute, whether they enjoyed their Laughie, and how they felt afterwards.

This study tracks sleep using wrist actigraphy in the control group (no Laughie prescription) and in the Laughie group. All participants complete one week baseline using sleep watches, and sleep diaries, prior to the Laughie intervention. They all then continue to track their sleep during the intervention. All participants complete WHO Five well-being, PSKI, and HADS pre and post intervention. During the intervention the Laughie participants complete Laughie checklists. All participants are invited for a final interview (the control group about the sleep equipment experience). A follow-up survey is sent to the Laughie group 2 months after their prescription.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 40
• Est. completion date: April 15, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: March 15, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 18 Years to 50 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria: Registered Zayed University students, owner of a smartphone -

Exclusion Criteria: Chronic health conditions (cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes), deafness, non-English speakers

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Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Mental Health Wellness
• Sleep

Intervention

Other:
• Laughie laughter prescription
Creation of a Laughie; laughing with their Laughie 3x a day

Device:
• Sleep tracking equipment
Tracking sleep using equipment

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United Arab Emirates	Zayed University	Abu Dhabi

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Zayed University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United Arab Emirates, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Feasibility of two-week laughter prescription	Using the Laughie. Evaluate with Laughie checklists and interviews	6 months
Secondary	Assess if subjective sleep outcomes improve	Using PSKI and interviews	6 months
Secondary	Assess if objective sleep outcomes improve	Using wrist actigraphy	6 months
Secondary	Assess if overall well-being improves	Using WHO Five, Laughie checklists, and interviews	6 months
Secondary	Assess if specific aspects of wellbeing improve	Using WHO Five, Laughie checklists, interviews	6 months
Secondary	Assess if mental health improves	Using HADS, interviews	6 months