Effectiveness of Mindfulness Therapy as a Complement to Pharmacological Treatment in the Control of Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Adults: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Lima, Peru.
Edith Chonta-Jaime, Neydi Cortez-Portas, Jorge Eduardo Luján López, Luigi Italo Villena Zapata, Benicio Gonzalo Acosta-Enriquez, Doris Gonzales-Carhuajulca
Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.) 2025 DOI: 10.1111/phn.13452 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental design with a quantitative and longitudinal cohort approach Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 50 |
| Population | Adults diagnosed with hypertension who regularly attended a health center in Villa El Salvador, Lima, Peru |
| Intervention | Mindfulness therapy |
| Duration | Eight sessions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Adult Healthy lifestyle Hypertension Vulnerable population |
| Key findings | Mindfulness therapy as an adjunct to pharmacological treatment reduced average systolic blood pressure by 7% and diastolic blood pressure by 11% in hypertensive adults. |
Abstract
To evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy as an adjunct to pharmacological treatment for improving blood pressure (BP) control in hypertensive adult patients at a health center in Lima, Peru. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a quantitative and longitudinal cohort approach. The participants included 50 adults who were diagnosed with hypertension and who regularly attended the health center in the Villa El Salvador district of Lima, Peru. The data were collected using three instruments: the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21), validated in Peru; a sociodemographic questionnaire; and a BP recording sheet. The Wilcoxon test was utilized to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy on BP control, while the nonparametric Friedman test was used to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy considering confounding factors. Therapy resulted in favorable outcomes for BP control. After eight sessions, the average systolic BP decreased from 122.8 to 115.0 mm Hg (a reduction of 7%), and the average diastolic BP decreased from 78.1 to 69.9 mm Hg (a reduction of 11%). Mindfulness is an effective complementary therapy for controlling BP in hypertensive adults. It also helps reduce confounding factors such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 15
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology May 3, 2018
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Physical and Psychological Wellbeing in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Brain Sciences May 29, 2021
- Effect of mindfulness-based interventions on people with prehypertension or hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC cardiovascular disorders February 14, 2024
- Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction in patients with acute myocardial infarction after successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a retrospective study. BMC cardiovascular disorders June 23, 2023
and 10 more in the library