Psychological interventions on stress management and reduction for hypertensive patients: a review of their effectiveness

Abstract Hypertension an asymptomatic chronic disease characterized by elevated blood pressure, is considered a public health problem, affected by stress levels perceived by the patient, with physical and emotional health consequences that can be devastating for this population. This study presents an analytical review focused on the effectiveness of different types of psychological intervention to reduce systolic blood pressure levels, controlling the level of diastolic pressure, decreasing stress perception of subjects and fostering greater adherence. The search was conducted by means of the Springer database, with 50 articles selected on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the period 2000-2013. Results showed greater inclination towards behavioral type interventions (38%), while cognitive-behavioral interventions were the most effective for decreasing stress levels and producing the most significant reduction in blood pressure, 100% of the studies based on this type of intervention showed positive results, while the behavioral type only registered 68.4% of success.