Coping strategies and blood pressure

The aim of this research was to identify coping strategies by patients with hypertension and hypotension. Analytical study of cases and control with 106 patients (34% men, 66% women), from which 55.7% hypotensive and 44.3% hypertensive were evaluated by the Coping Strategies Questionnaire Modified. We found differences on the coping skills used by patients with high blood pressure and those with low blood pressure. We found differences in the coping skills used by patients with high blood pressure and those with low blood pressure. Meaningful differences in the coping strategies of problem solving (p < 0.05), with higher scores in hypertensive patients, and professional support (p < 0.05), and a positive reevaluation (p < 0.01), which was higher in those with hypotension. Adjusting by gender, the last coping skill showed statistical differences. Though these are preliminary finding they are in agreement with the hypothesis that responding to stress hypotensive tend to escape and hypertensive tend to face it.