Abstract:

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of laughter yoga applied to Nursing 1st year students before the skill practice exam on exam anxiety. Material and Methods: The research was carried out between 30 May and 2 June 2022 in a single-group pre-test-post-test order using a quasi-experimental design. The sample of the study consisted of 48 first-year nursing students who voluntarily accepted to participate in the study and took the Fundamentals of Nursing course in the spring term of 2021-2022. The students who accepted to participate in the study were given 4 sessions of laughter yoga practice, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, 3 days before the clinical practice exam and on the morning of the exam. Before and after the application, students were asked to fill in the Exam Anxiety Scale. Results: After the application, it was determined that the mean scores of the students on the Exam Anxiety Scale decreased, but the difference was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). The pretest score average of the students in the mental and physical reactions sub-dimension was determined as 3.39± 0.67, while the posttest score average was 3.23. It was determined as ± 0.78. In the statistical analysis; It was determined that the difference between the mean scores of the mental and physical reactions sub-dimension of the scale before and after the laughter yoga practice of the students was statistically significant. (p<0.05). Conclusion: It has been determined that the practice of laughter yoga can be used as an alternative method to reduce exam anxiety in nursing students.

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