<![CDATA[Abstract. Hypertension remains a significant health challenge with high prevalence but low control rates in Indonesia, including Cirebon City. While physical factors are commonly studied, psychosocial contributions such as stress are often overlooked in clinical management, necessitating local empirical evidence to support holistic intervention strategies. This quantitative study aims to analyze the association between psychological stress levels and the grade of hypertension at the Internal Medicine Polyclinic of Ciremai Hospital in 2025 using a cross-sectional approach. A sample of 61 respondents was selected through consecutive sampling. Research instruments included blood pressure observation sheets and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire, with data analyzed using the Fisher’s Exact Test test. Results showed that the majority of respondents were in Grade 1 hypertension. In the mild stress group, most respondents (66.7%) had Grade 1 hypertension, whereas all respondents with moderate to high stress (100%) were categorized into Grade 2 hypertension. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant association between psychological stress levels and the grade of hypertension (p < 0.001). In conclusion, higher levels of perceived stress are associated with more severe grades of hypertension. Stress management should be integrated into hypertension control programs to prevent disease progression. Abstrak. Hipertensi memiliki prevalensi tinggi namun pengendaliannya rendah di Indonesia, termasuk Kota Cirebon. Meski faktor fisik umum dipelajari, kontribusi psikososial seperti stres sering terabaikan dalam manajemen klinis, sehingga diperlukan bukti empiris lokal untuk mendukung strategi intervensi yang holistik. Penelitian kuantitatif ini bertujuan menganalisis hubungan tingkat stres psikologis dengan derajat hipertensi di Poliklinik Penyakit Dalam RS Ciremai Kota Cirebon tahun 2025 melalui pendekatan cross-sectional. Sampel sebanyak 61 responden dipilih menggunakan teknik consecutive sampling. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan lembar observasi tekanan darah dan kuesioner Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), dengan analisis data melalui uji Fisher’s Exact Test. Hasil menunjukkan mayoritas responden berada pada hipertensi derajat 1. Pada kelompok stres ringan, sebagian besar responden (66,7%) mengalami hipertensi derajat 1, sedangkan seluruh responden dengan stres sedang dan tinggi (100%) berada pada kategori hipertensi derajat 2. Uji statistik mengonfirmasi adanya hubungan signifikan antara tingkat stres psikologis dengan derajat hipertensi (p < 0,001). Dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat hubungan signifikan di mana semakin tinggi tingkat stres, semakin berat derajat hipertensi yang dialami. Manajemen stres perlu diintegrasikan dalam pengendalian hipertensi guna mencegah progresivitas penyakit.]]>
