The Comparison Between Laughter and SEFT Therapies Effect Towards Stress For The Elderly People

The elderly people tend to be prone to stress. It actually relates to life problem, decrease of physical and psychological functions, and loneliness. Laughter and SEFT(Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique) therapies are effective to decrease stress level. The aim of this research is to compare the influence between laughter and SEFT therapies on stress for the elderly people. This research applies quasi-experimental design. Furthermore, the subjects involved in this research are the elderly people aged 60 and over. They are classified into three groups, laughter therapy, SEFT, and control groups which respectively consisting of 5 elderly people. The subjects are selected by using purposive sampling technique. The data are collected by using Perceived Stress Scale. Then, the data are analyzed by using one-way anava test. The results of the research showed that there is difference alternative in decreasing stress on laughter therapy, SEFT, and control groups (F = 6.825, p < 0.05). Control group is slightly different with laughter therapy and SEFT groups. Otherwise, laughter therapy group is not significantly different with SEFT group. As a consequence, SEFT therapy is more effective than laughter therapy in decreasing stress.