Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Blood Pressure (MBSR) Among Patients with Type-2 Diabetes - A Randomised Pilot Study

A randomized pilot study evaluated the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on blood pressure in adults aged 35-60 with type 2 diabetes in a rural community near Bangalore. Forty participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving MBSR training or a control group receiving no training. Blood pressure was measured at baseline and after the intervention. MBSR significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (p=0.018), but diastolic blood pressure did not change significantly (p=0.119). The authors conclude that MBSR is effective in controlling blood pressure in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Hypertension affects approximately 70 percent of patients with diabetes. Diabetic mellitus with elevated blood pressure is a stressful health problem for middle aged and older adults. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been shown to decrease the blood pressure for individual with diabetes. Therefore the randomised pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effects of MBSR on blood pressure among type 2 diabetes, aged 35-60 years in a selected rural community, Bangalore. Forty participants were selected by simple random sampling method and equally randomised into experimental and control groups. Blood pressure was measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Experimental group had undergone MBSR training session, whereas control group did not receive any training. The study results showed that MBSR was effective in reducing the systolic blood pressure and it was found statistically significant (p=0.018). But there was no change in diastolic blood pressure in both groups. Hence it was statistically not significant (p=0.119). The study concluded that MBSR programme was effective in controlling blood pressure of individuals with type 2 diabetes.