Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), Stress
Conditions
Keywords
stress, resiliency, meditation, blood pressure, cardiovascular risk
Brief summary
Women living with HIV have 2-4x higher risk for cardiovascular disease compared to women without HIV, with women living with HIV in the Southern US being particularly at risk. While an increased prevalence of traditional risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and obesity) partially explain this risk, evidence suggests that increased exposure to structural and social stressors (e.g., poverty, discrimination, and stigma) among women living with HIV in the South negatively contribute to cardiovascular disease disparities through their impact on stress. The Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program is an effective, evidence-based intervention proven to improve resiliency to environmental stressors and reduce the physiologic responses to stress which contribute to cardiovascular disease. While the SMART program has demonstrated efficacy in a wide range of populations and settings, it has not been designed for or tested among women living with HIV in the South, where unique cultural and faith-based context may diminish the uptake and value of the intervention to mitigate cardiovascular disease risk. The purpose of this study is to adapt the evidence-based SMART program in consideration of the needs and contexts of women living with HIV in the Southern US and pilot the adapted intervention to establish the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of the adapted intervention to reduce stress and mitigate cardiovascular disease risk among this population.
Interventions
The Stress Management and Resiliency Training Intervention is an evidence-based intervention to reduce physiologic responses to stress that may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. The intervention is typically delivered over an 8-week period and works to decrease stress responses by improving psychological resiliency to structural and social stressors and decreasing sympathetic nervous system activation. Eliciting the relaxation response through meditation, mindfulness, and autogenic training are core components.
OTHERUsual Care
Usual social and clinical services provided to patients at the recruiting clinic
Sponsors
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. cis-gender females at least 18 years of age 2. HIV-seropositive and a patient of the recruiting clinic 3. English speaking
Exclusion criteria
1. severe mental illness 2. not being willing able to provide informed consent 3. not willing or able to attend study visits
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in blood pressure at baseline, week 8, and week 20 | baseline - week 8 - week 20 | Measure blood pressure at baseline, end of intervention, and at 12-week follow-up |
| Change in Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale Score | baseline - week 8 - week 20 | Higher score indicates more depressive symptoms (0-60 Range) |
| Change in Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale Score | baseline - week 8 - week 20 | Higher scores indicate greater symptoms of anxiety (0-21 Range) |
| Changes in Perceived Stress Scale Scores | baseline - week 8 - week 20 | Higher scores indicate greater perceived stress (0 - 40 Range) |
| Changes in Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale | baseline - week 8 - week 20 | Higher scores indicate greater resilience (0-100 Range) |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactJenni Wise, PhD, MSN
Outcome results
None listed