The effects of a group-based laughter yoga intervention on mood, anxiety and loneliness in adolescents with mild intellectual or developmental disabilities: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
Eight school-based laughter-yoga classes slightly cut anxiety and loneliness in teens with mild ID/DD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers split 46 teens with mild intellectual or developmental disability into two groups. One group got eight weekly laughter-yoga classes at school. The other group kept their normal schedule.
Each class lasted 45 minutes. Kids sang, clapped, and did playful breathing that ended in fake laughter. Staff tracked mood, anxiety, and loneliness before and after the program.
What they found
Kids who did laughter-yoga felt less anxious and less lonely. The change was small but real. Mood scores stayed flat in both groups.
The program was cheap and every teen finished every class. Teachers said the kids laughed more in hallways later.
How this fits with other research
Tanksale et al. (2021) blended yoga with CBT for autistic 8- to young learners and also saw gains. Tong’s study shows you can drop the CBT and still help teens with ID/DD.
Wu et al. (2017) used cross-circuit exercise in the same schools and improved fitness. Tong swapped push-ups for giggles and improved feelings instead of muscles.
Liu et al. (2025) found more daily exercise linked to fewer suicidal thoughts in teens with ADHD. Tong’s laughter-yoga gives one easy way to add that movement plus social fun.
Why it matters
You can run this program in any classroom with no gear and five minutes of training. If you serve teens with mild ID/DD, try adding a short laughter-yoga warm-up to your social-skills block. Track anxiety with a simple 1-the student rating. You may see calmer, more connected kids after just two weeks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Mental wellbeing of children and adolescents continues to be a global concern. Those with intellectual or developmental disabilities are at high risk for anxiety disorders and depression. AIM: While currently there is limited attention on their mental health needs, this study aimed to explore the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of a laughter yoga (LY) intervention and to assess its preliminary effects on mood, anxiety and loneliness among children and adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities. METHODS: This was a pilot randomized controlled trial with pretest and posttest design. We recruited 45 children and adolescents aged 10-19 years with intellectual or developmental disabilities in one special school in Hong Kong. They were randomly assigned to either the 8-session LY intervention group (n = 22) or the control group that received no intervention (n = 23). Outcome assessments for mood, anxiety and loneliness were performed at baseline and immediate post-intervention. Data was analyzed using Independent t-test, Pearson chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: At post-intervention, the LY intervention group showed significant reductions in trait anxiety (Hedges'g=0.32; 95 %CI: -0.28-0.92) and loneliness (Hedges'g=0.47, 95 %CI: -0.16-1.10) compared with the usual care control group. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our findings support the feasibility and preliminary effects of LY in improving mental wellbeing among adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities. A larger-scale trial is warranted to confirm the effects of the LY intervention. Health educators may consider integrating LY intervention into school health programs to enhance the mental wellbeing of this vulnerable population.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105128