A differential qualitative analysis following a laughie laughter prescription intervention in earthquake survivors

This study aimed to explore the impact of a laughter prescription on well-being in a sample of earthquake survivors in Türkiye. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted following a 14-day intervention; and analysed using Differential Qualitative Analysis. Ten participants (eight female, two male) volunteered to take part in in-depth interviews, enabling the contextualization of previously reported quantitative findings. The Differential Qualitative Analysis was conducted to (1) gain insights into individual participant data; (2) create and assess subgroups; and (3) assess overall qualitative data. Two subgroups were identified based on changes in well-being scores: Subgroup 1 included participants with higher increases (over 40 points), while Subgroup 2 included those with lower increases (under 25 points). Results suggests; those in Subgroup 1 were more motivated; engaged with more reasons to laugh; and exhibited higher fidelity to and enjoyment with the group interactions and overall intervention. Participants reported enjoying the intervention, improvements in well-being, and experienced other mental health recovery benefits. Our research indicates that higher wellbeing uplifts reported in Subgroup 1 may be explained by increased participant motivation and engagement with the intervention, suggesting the importance of a habit-building mind-set. The findings suggest that the Laughie Laughter Prescription could be integrated into post-disaster recovery programs to enhance the psychological well-being of earthquake-affected individuals.