The effect of pursed lip breathing exercise and laughter therapy on dyspnea, health status, and care dependence in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This study is a single-blind, matched attention-controlled, randomized experimental research aimed at determining the effects of pursed-lip breathing exercises and laughter therapy on the severity of dyspnea, health status, and care dependency in individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The research was conducted with a total of 63 patients in the pulmonary diseases' unit of a public hospital in Ankara. Patients were stratified based on smoking status and COPD Assessment Test scores, then randomly assigned to two intervention groups and one control group. During the initial interview, patients in the intervention groups received training and practiced the intervention, along with an educational video and brochure. For attention matching, patients in the control group received face-to-face education about lung structure and function and were given a brochure. Patients in the intervention groups were asked to perform pursed-lip breathing exercises and laughter therapy three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) for eight weeks, with one weekly session conducted via video call. At baseline, and during the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks, both the intervention and control groups completed the Dyspnea-12 Scale, the COPD Assessment Test, and the Care Dependency Scale. Group blinding was maintained in the application of these scales and the data analysis. The study found that pursed-lip breathing exercises and laughter therapy significantly reduced dyspnea severity (p<0.05) and improved health status (p<0.05) in COPD patients, with the positive effect on dyspnea persisting even after a four-week break (p<0.05). Additionally, there was no significant impact on care dependency (p>0.05). Pursed-lip breathing exercises and laughter therapy are recommended as easy-to-implement, cost-free methods to reduce dyspnea severity and improve health status in COPD patients. Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Dyspnea, Health Status, Laughter Therapy, Pursed Lip Breathing Exercise,