Psychosocial and Behavioral Aspects of Bariatric Surgery

Abstract

2 ) or those with less severe obesity accompanied by significant comorbidities. Sustained postoperative weight loss and improvements in obesity-related health problems make bariatric surgery the most effective treatment for this population. Nevertheless, most experts agree that psychosocial and behavioral factors contribute to successful postoperative outcomes. This paper reviews the literature on the preoperative psychosocial status, eating behaviors, and quality of life of patients who seek bariatric surgery. In addition, the paper examines studies that investigated changes in these factors postoperatively. The review concludes with an agenda for future research in this area.

Weight loss and quality of life after bariatric surgery: a study of 200 patients after vertical gastroplasty or adjustable gastric banding

“…However, depressive and anxiety symptoms, as correlates of psychological stress with regard to obesity, seemed to be predictive of weight loss after surgery. Both psychosocial and behavioral factors contribute to the successful post-operative outcomes (Sarwer et al, 2005). Another positive impact of surgery may be the improvement in socio-economic level of obese people after weight loss (Hawke et al, 1990, Naslund andAgren, 1991;Herpetz et al, 2003), but this parameter, as well as depression scores were not recorded in our study.…”

Ten-year trends in health-related quality of life after surgical and conventional treatment for severe obesity: the SOS intervention study

“…Previous research has demonstrated that the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity is increased in bariatric surgery patients and mood disorders appear to be the most common condition. 8 The relationship between obesity and depression is complex and the causal pathway may be bidirectional or reciprocal. Studies of adolescents suggest that depression during adolescence may precede obesity in young adulthood and vice versa.…”

“…[2][3][4] Weight reduction in the severely obese is accompanied by improvements in HRQL and some studies indicate that a dose-response relationship exists between the magnitude of weight loss and HRQL benefits. [2][3][5][6][7][8] However, severe obesity is a refractory condition that is extremely difficult to master in the long run and conventional treatment, including various diet regimens, lifestyle modification programs and pharmaceutical agents, is relatively ineffective in the long-term perspective. 1 At present, surgical intervention is the only treatment alternative yielding more enduring weight loss and improvements in health status and HRQL.…”

“…9 Nevertheless, much of the research reporting improvements in psychosocial areas after bariatric surgery suffers from methodological limitations, such as small study samples, short follow-up periods, large numbers of dropouts and lack of appropriate control subjects. 8,10 Few studies have followed patients for longer periods, and reliable information on the long-term effects of weight reduction treatment on HRQL is lacking. Bariatric surgery produces substantial initial weight loss in the great majority of patients, but after reaching maximum weight loss, many patients start to gradually regain weight over several years.…”

Stabilizing family life after gastric bypass surgery

“…Remodelling together made it easier to strengthen the interrelationships within the family, also facilitating attaining unity and the maintenance of lifestyle modifications. According to research, individuals often experience a positive change in their relationships after undergoing weight loss surgery (Clark et al, 2014; Sarwer, Wadden, & Fabricatore, 2005). Wedin et al (2014) have reported that being married was 7.1 odd ratio with sustained weight loss.…”