EFFECT OF STRESS MANAGEMENT ON ANGINA

Four hundred and fifty two male angina patients were randomised to rec eive stress management or no psychological intervention. Instruction i n stress management was given in three group sessions each of about on e hour. Patients were also asked to practice relaxation and read a cou rse 'manual' at home. After six months the group instructed in stress management showed a reduction in the frequency of non-exertional chest pain (as measured by a 14 day diary) compared to the non-intervention group. Analysis of covariance showed a benefit of stress management i rrespective of angina frequency at recruitment. Further analysis of co variance showed reduction in the frequency of non-exertional chest pai n to be associated with increased ability to relax. This study has dem onstrated that stress management can be effective in reducing the freq uency on non-exertional chest pain, and that a possible mechanism for this lies in the practice of relaxation.