Effects of Laughter Therapy on Postpartum Mothers' Stress, Sleep, and Breastfeeding

Postnatal period is an important developmental transition period for women. Stress in the postnatal period is one of the most common mental health problems and most mothers report experiencing stress in the perinatal period. In addition, stress and negative mental health also threaten breastfeeding self-efficacy. The postnatal period is an important stage in terms of early initiation and maintenance of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding self-efficacy is a mother's perceived confidence in her ability to breastfeed her newborn baby. Therefore, midwives are expected to assess women and identify women in need of supportive interventions and consciously contribute to their treatment. Another common problem in the postnatal period is poor sleep quality. It was determined that an increase in sleep quality and perceived social support positively affected breastfeeding self-efficacy of postpartum women. In addition, poor sleep quality poses a threat for negative mental health outcomes for women in the postpartum period. Previous studies reflect mothers' desire for non-pharmacological interventions and a high degree of satisfaction with these therapies. Laughter therapy, one of the main non-pharmacological interventions, is recognised as a universal approach to reduce stress and anxiety. The postnatal period is a fragile period with physical and psychological changes as well as hormonal changes in the mother. Poor mental health of the mother poses a danger to the well-being of the mother and the baby. Mothers in the postpartum period need low-cost, easily accessible preventive interventions to prevent these problems. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine the effect of laughter therapy given to mothers in the postpartum period on perceived stress, sleep quality and breastfeeding self-efficacy level in mothers.