title: Stress-management training for essential hypertension: a controlled study.
abstract: Forty three patients with essential hypertension participated in a study on the effectiveness of stress-management training for essential hypertension. After 6-9 clinic and 48 self-measured readings of systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP), 22 patients were treated with a program based on education, relaxation, and problem-solving training; and another 21 patients were assigned to a waiting list control group. At post-treatment, mean reductions of clinic BP (17/13 mm Hg vs. 6.9/4.7 mm Hg for SBP/DBP), percentages of subjects who achieved at least a 5 mm Hg reduction (86/86% vs. 48/48% for SBP/DBP) and percentages of subjects who in addition achieved a normotensive level (59/68% vs. 29/14% for SBP/DBP) were significantly higher in the treated group than in the control group. Concerning self-measured BP, the effectiveness of the stress-management training was not so considerable (mean reductions of 3.6/2.4 mm Hg and percentages of subjects who achieved a 5 mm Hg reduction of 52/38% for SBP/DBP), but it was significant and maintained in a 4-month follow-up assessment (mean reductions of 4/2 mm Hg and percentages of subjects who achieved a 5 mm Hg reduction of 48/33% for SBP/DBP). It is suggested that stress-management training can be beneficial for treatment of essential hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: García-Vera
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Labrador
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanz
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents