The Effectiveness of Counseling-Based Self-Management Education on Stress Coping among Patients with Hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension is a chronic condition that is frequently accompanied by persistent psychological stress, which may interfere with patients’ ability to manage their illness effectively. Strengthening stress coping is therefore an important target of counseling-based interventions, particularly within the framework of counseling positivism that emphasizes personal strengths and adaptive functioning. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of counseling-based self-management education in improving stress coping among patients with hypertension. This study hypothesized that counseling-based self-management education would significantly improve stress coping after the intervention. A one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was employed involving 60 patients with hypertension in a primary healthcare setting. Participants received a counseling-based self-management education program delivered through three structured counseling sessions, each lasting 20 minutes and conducted three times within one week. Stress coping was measured using the Brief COPE inventory. Data were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test and effect size estimation. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in stress coping scores from pretest (M = 56.2, SD = 6.5) to posttest (M = 57.5, SD = 6.8), with t = 2.10 and p = .039. The effect size was small (Cohen’s d = 0.20), indicating a modest but meaningful improvement. In conclusion, counseling-based self-management education is a feasible and effective approach to enhancing stress coping among patients with hypertension. It supports the integration of positive psychology–oriented counseling into primary healthcare services.