Abstract
Excess skin and disordered eating behaviors are referred to as some of the major negative consequences of bariatric surgery as well as body image shame. This study sought to explore how discomfort with excessive skin, body image shame, psychological distress, eating-related psychopathology, and negative urgency interact to understand uncontrolled eating among woman submitted to bariatric surgery. A cross-sectional sample of 137 women was evaluated postoperatively through self-report questionnaires assessing discomfort with excess skin, body image shame, eating-related psychopathology, negative urgency, and uncontrolled eating in a hospital center in the north of Portugal. Pearson correlations and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were performed. Body image shame mediated the relationship between discomfort with excess skin and eating-related psychopathology. In turn, the relationship between eating-related psychopathology and uncontrolled eating was mediated by negative urgency. This study highlights the impact of excess skin and body image shame on eating behavior post-bariatric-surgery. Considering the proven impact of uncontrolled eating on weight-loss results post-surgery, understanding the mechanisms underlying this problem is highly important. Our findings provide helpful insight for multidisciplinary teams committed to providing care to bariatric patients struggling with body image and eating difficulties.
Highlights
Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective and durable treatment for severe obesity, resulting in significant weight loss and substantial improvements in obesity-related comorbidities [1] and patients’ psychosocial function [2]
We found that body image shame mediated the relationship between a good fit to our data (χ2 (6) = 7.561, p = 0.272, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.990, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.976, root mean square error of approximation index (RMSEA) = 0.048, discomfort with excess skin and eating-related psychopathology
We explored how discomfort with excessive skin, body image shame, psychological distress, eating-related psychopathology, and negative urgency interact to understand uncontrolled eating among a sample of women submitted to bariatric surgery
Summary
Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective and durable treatment for severe obesity, resulting in significant weight loss and substantial improvements in obesity-related comorbidities [1] and patients’ psychosocial function [2]. As previously suggested, body image shame is extremely frequent in bariatric patients pre- and post-surgery [17,27,28], in individuals with poor psychological functioning [17] It is not clear whether a direct correlation exists between weight loss induced by bariatric procedures and body image improvement, that is, the rapid change in body shape achieved post-surgery may not be accompanied by psychological changes related to body image. Considering the aforementioned psychosocial impacts of excessive skin, it is possible that, after bariatric intervention, the discomfort with excessive skin experienced, in patients presenting higher levels of psychological distress, can increase body image shame and, increase difficulties with the regulation of eating behaviors. Excessive skin and eating-related psychopathology; negative urgency as a mediator between eating-related psychopathology and uncontrolled eating; psychological distress as a moderator between discomfort with excessive skin and body image shame
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.