ABSTRACT
Background: Hypertension was one of the commonest type of chronic illnesses across the globe posing a high risk of cardio morbidity and mortality. Adherence to treatment was a major factor in effective management of hypertension but when it came to a poor compliance it was a common occurrence. The behavioral, cognitive, and emotional factors of health presented in health psychology provided some of the best strategies to improve adherence through psychological barriers, motivation, and patient participation.
Purpose: This research study had an objective of assessing the importance of health psychology in enhancing treatment adherence among hypertensive patients through use of behavioral approach.
Methods: This observational study was taken in Pakistan Institute of medical sciences (PIMS), Islamabad between the period May 2024 to April 2025. Purposive sampling was applied to recruit 110 patients with hypertension. The collection of the data was conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire that evaluated the demographic data, some psychological indicators (motivation, health beliefs and stress levels), and treatment adherence patterns. Interventions using health psychology, such as motivational interviews, cognitive-behavioral, and stress reduction methods, were used. The adherence to treatment was re-evaluated after 3-month follow-up.
Results: The overall number of participants was 110, 64 (58.2%) men and 46 (41.8%) women with a mean age of 52.4 +9.8 years. At baseline, the patients with good antihypertensive adherence were only 45 (40.9 percent). Following an intervention based on health psychology, the adherence rate increased remarkably, and 83 (75.5) of patients demonstrated good adherence during follow-up time (p < 0.01). A significant decrease in the perceived stress was also recorded as well as increase in self efficacy and health motivation.
Conclusion: Health psychology was critical in boosting treatment in hypertensive patients. This was evident where behavioral interventions were used to overcome the psychological roots of non-compliance and facilitate long-term compliance to the antihypertensive treatment. The use of psychological expertise was advocated to be incorporated into the handling of hypertension on a regular basis so as to improve patient outcomes.
Keywords: Hypertension, Health Psychology, Treatment Adherence, Behavioral Approach, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Motivation, Stress Management.