THE CORRELATION BETWEEN STRESS LEVELS AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION AT THE WORKING AREA OF KLATAK PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER IN 2022

Background: Stress is a disorder of the body and mind caused by changes and demands of life, which are influenced by the environment and the appearance of individuals in the environment. Stress is an unpleasant condition for individuals that can cause physical and psychological pressure on individuals. Hypertension is often referred to as the silent killer because it is a deadly disease and it often does not cause any complaints or symptoms. Moreover, hypertension can cause other diseases that are classified as serious and deadly diseases and can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Purpose: This study was to determine the correlation between stress levels and blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Methods: The method used in this study is cross sectional and 30 respondents were selected by using accidental sampling for 4 days. For the first variable, the data were collected by using DASS 21 and for the second variable, they were collected by using sphygmomanometer, stethoscope and observation sheet. Results: The results showed that most patients (53.3%) suffered from moderate stress levels and almost half of them (46.7%) were included in stage 1 hypertension. From the statistical analysis using Spearman Rank test, it was obtained p value of 0.021 < 0.05, which means that there was correlation between stress levels and blood pressure in hypertensive patients. The correlation between the two variables was unidirectional. Thus, it can be interpreted that the higher the stress level, the more it will affect the blood pressure. Conclusion: It is very important for the respondents to be more active in participating in every activity carried out by the Puskesmas related to self-control on people with hypertension in order to avoid stress.

Keywords: stress level, blood pressure, hypertension