Hypertension is the major health problem
affecting blacks today. Socioecological
stress is implicated in areas in which excess
mortality exists. The nurse practitioner,
whose role has been established in providing medical treatment for hypertension,
also has a role in alleviating social stressors.
The objective in this study was to deter
mine the nurse practitioner's effectiveness
in reducing stress and whether stress reduction resulted in blood pressure re
duction. The results indicate that the nurse
practitioner's intervention was effective—
when patients complied with her suggestions both socioecological stress and blood
pressure were significantly reduced.
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