Introduction: Depression as a serious complication of cancer has various effects in different contexts like on the individual and social life, mental and physical health, treatment and disease progression. This study aimes to determine the effect of nursing intervention based on humor on depression in adolescents with leukemia.

Method: This research is an experimental study where 62 children and youth aged 12 to 18 years old with leukemia that have inclusion criteria were that purposive sampling and were randomly assigned into two intervention and control groups. To gather the data, demographic and depression in children and adolescents (CADS) questionnaires were used. In the experimental group, nursing interventions based on the use of humor as three 30-minute sessions per week, for 8 weeks were used and control group only received the routine care interventions. Before and after intervention, both groups filled out questionnaires. After collecting the data entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21.

Findings: Statistically significant difference was not found in demographic variables between the two groups (P>0.05). Pre-test mean depression score in the control group was (34.10±0.16) and the experimental group was (36.16±6.89), which statistically significant difference wasn’t found between the two groups in pretest scores (P>0.05). After adjusting pre-test scores, a significant effect of depression between subjects in grades obtained (P<0.001). The average depression score in the experimental group in pretest was 36.16 which was 18.19 after the intervention ended. Paired t-test showed significant differences between the scores before and after (P<0.0001).

Conclusion: Results of this study showed that use of nursing interventions based on the humor can greatly reduce depression in children and adolescents with leukemia and as a method of health care in the care of these patients was recommended.

Keywords: humor, nursing, depression, leukemia, adolescent