Cognitive behavioural treatment for essential hypertension: A controlled study

Abstract

Abstract Sixteen patients with essential hypertension from the northwest of Spain were exposed to a three—four week baseline period and later divided into two groups of eight patients each. One of these groups was treated with a six‐week cognitive behavioural programme based mainly on stress inoculation training and the other group was assigned to an attention—placebo condition based on individual regular contacts between the therapist and the patient, including discussions about the lifestyle of the latter but without any training on cognitive or behavioural strategies. After the six‐week intervention period, and at a six months' follow‐up, subjects treated with the cognitive behavioural programme showed a significantly higher reduction of diastolic blood pressure than patients exposed to the attention—placebo condition, considering measurements taken both at hospital and at patients' homes. Similarly, the group treated with cognitive behavioural therapy showed a significant within‐group reduction over the measurement taken at hospital.