Evaluating the effects of humor therapy on fatigue levels of hemodialysis patients: A single-blind, randomized clinical trial study

Background: This study investigated the effects of humor therapy on the fatigue levels of patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). Materials and Methods: A single-blind, randomized clinical trial of 66 HD patients for 3 weeks was conducted, in which two groups were randomly allocated – humor therapy and control. In the intervention group, humor therapy sessions were conducted twice a week for 3 weeks. As a pre- and postintervention assessment, the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) was completed. Results: According to the repeated-measures ANOVA test, FSI values exhibited a significant decline in the humor therapy group and an increase in the control group at the first, second, and third visits (humor therapy vs. control: 30.38 ± 8.75 and 61.80 ± 13.92, P < 0.001; 35.71 ± 10.05 and 69.53 ± 15.32, P < 0.001; and 34.85 ± 9.24 and 70.34 ± 22.26, P < 0.001, respectively) compared with baseline (humor therapy vs. control: 49.26 ± 5.19 and 52.09 ± 11.69, P = 0.204). Conclusion: Findings suggest that humor therapy can effectively reduce fatigue levels in patients presenting with HD.