Predicting Treatment Response to Relaxation Therapy for Essential Hypertension

This study investigated the relationship of relaxation practice to blood pressure reduction in 31 hypertensive subjects who participated in an 8-week treatment program. Subjects achieved significant post-treatment reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which were maintained at 5 months follow-up and were found to generalize to the subjects' home environment. Subjects who practiced relaxation with their spouses showed significantly better treatment adherence than those who practiced relaxation alone. No differences were found in blood pressure reduction between the two groups, however, due to the fact that pressure reduction was only modestly correlated with degree of relaxation practice. A significant, inverse relationship was found between blood pressure reduction and two measures associated with the Type A behavior pattern. Results of this study provide further evidence that relaxation training is effective in the treatment of some persons with mild, essential hypertension; however, further efforts are needed to identify predictors of treatment response.