BOSTON – A worksite-based stress and anger management program may improve the cardiovascular health of at-risk employees, Lynn Clemow, Ph.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
Preliminary results from a randomized, controlled trial indicate that participants who underwent a brief psychoeducational intervention program had reductions in systolic blood pressure. The participants were a diverse group of hospital employees classified as hypertensive on screening.
The employees in the intervention group also reported significant reductions in stress, hostility, burnout, and passive interpersonal behavior, all of which have been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease, said Dr. Clemow of the behavioral cardiovascular health and hypertension program at Columbia University, New York.
Participants underwent baseline and posttrial blood pressure testing and structured interviews to measure hostility, perceived stress, depression, work stress, and interpersonal behavior. The 32 individuals in the intervention group participated in 10 weekly, 1-hour stress and anger management sessions based on materials from the Williams LifeSkills program. The intervention was delivered in small groups by trained clinicians, Dr. Clemow said.
Individuals randomized to the control group received usual care, which included apprising the participants' primary care providers of blood pressure readings at screening and giving the participants a summary of blood pressure management guidelines. Individuals in both groups were stratified by hostility level.
The intervention group participants with a high level of hostility had reductions from baseline in systolic blood pressure during the high stress periods of the stress/anger structured interview, while their control counterparts did not show reductions. No differences were found in resting clinical blood pressure readings between the two groups over time, but the preliminary findings suggest the utility of such workplace interventions with respect to improving blood pressure under stressful conditions, according to Dr. Clemow.
The intervention group also showed posttreatment improvement in scores of self-reported stress, job burnout, hostility, and passive-unassertive behavior. As hypothesized, “the effects were more pronounced among individuals with higher baseline hostility,” Dr. Clemow said.