The Effectiveness of Positive Psychotherapy Training on Blood Pressure and General Health in Patients with Hypertension

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy training on reducing blood pressure and improving general health among patients with hypertension. This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of hypertensive patients attending a cardiovascular clinic in Tehran in 2024. Thirty-six participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 18) and a control group (n = 18). Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and standardized blood pressure measurements based on the Korotkoff method. The experimental group received six weekly 90-minute sessions of positive psychotherapy, while the control group received no psychological intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA) in SPSS version 26. After controlling for pretest scores, ANCOVA results revealed a significant difference between groups in posttest blood pressure (F = 88.518, p = 0.0001, η² = 0.734). A significant group difference was also observed in general health scores (F = 47.432, p = 0.0001, η² = 0.597), indicating a strong intervention effect on both physiological and psychological outcomes. Positive psychotherapy training appears to be an effective complementary intervention for reducing blood pressure and enhancing general health among patients with hypertension.