The effect of relaxation and cognitive counseling intervention on blood pressure and quality of life among pregnant women with chronic hypertension – randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most significant chronic diseases in all people, especially pregnant women, which can pose many risks to the mother and fetus. It also reduces the quality of life (QOL) of pregnant women. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of relaxation and cognitive counseling on blood pressure and quality of life among hypertensive pregnant women.Material and methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 hypertensive pregnant women. Subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: cognitive (n = 20), relaxation (n = 20), and controls (n = 20). The blood pressure of the participants was measured using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer, and their quality of life was assessed by using World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL) scale, before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0 with chi-square, one-way ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc and paired sample t test.Results: None of the study variables were significantly different between three study groups at baseline. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed a decrease in both intervention and control groups. The quality of life score showed an increase in all dimensions of quality of life in the intervention groups. However, there was no significant change in the control group. The increase in quality of life score in the cognitive counseling group was larger than in the relaxation group (p < 0.01).Conclusions: The results of this study showed that cognitive counseling and relaxation can effectively improve quality of life of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.