The Association of Stress With Blood Pressure and Fasting Blood Glucose in Hypertensive Patients at the Aur Duri Primary Health Center, Jambi City

Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. One of its causal factors is environmental, namely psychological stress, which increases the secretion of cortisol and catecholamines and thereby alters several physiological functions, including blood pressure and fasting blood glucose. Objective: To determine whether stress is associated with blood pressure and fasting blood glucose in patients with hypertension. Methods: This was an observational quantitative study with a cross-sectional design, conducted at the Aur Duri Primary Health Center, Jambi City, in July 2021. A total of 33 patients with hypertension were recruited by purposive sampling. The research instruments were the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42 (DASS-42) questionnaire and an observation sheet. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test and the independent-samples t-test. Results: The chi-square analysis yielded a p-value of 0.031 for the association between stress and blood pressure, whereas the independent-samples t-test yielded a p-value of 0.887 for the comparison of fasting blood glucose by stress status. Conclusion: Stress was significantly associated with blood pressure in patients with hypertension, whereas fasting blood glucose did not differ significantly between hypertensive patients with and without stress.