Psychological functioning and well‐being before and after bariatric surgery; what is the benefit of being self‐compassionate?

• Published in: British journal of health psychology 2022-02, Vol.27 (1), p.96-115
• Main Authors: Pyykkö, Johanna Eveliina, Aydin, Ömrüm, Gerdes, Victor E. A., Acherman, Yaïr I. Z., Groen, Albert K., Laar, Arnold W., Nieuwdorp, Max, Sanderman, Robbert, Hagedoorn, Mariët
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: bariatric surgery; Bariatric Surgery - psychology; Body Image; Body mass index; Craving; Eating behavior; Efficacy; Epidemiology; Exercise; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food; Gastric restriction surgery; Gastrointestinal surgery; Health status; Healthy food; Humans; Injuries; Male; Mental depression; Obesity; Obesity, Morbid - psychology; Obesity, Morbid - surgery; Original; Psychological functioning; psychology; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Self compassion; Self image; Spinal cord; Spinal cord injuries; Surgery; Sympathy; weight loss; Well being
• ISSN: 1359-107X; 2044-8287
• DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12532

Objective To investigate whether patients’ psychological well‐being (depression, quality of life, body image satisfaction) and functioning (self‐efficacy for eating and exercising behaviours and food cravings) improve 12 months after bariatric surgery and whether self‐compassion is associated with better psychological outcomes and lower weight after bariatric surgery. Design Longitudinal, prospective observational study. Methods Bariatric patients (n = 126, 77.8% female, 46.4 ± 10.8 years) completed the Self‐compassion Scale, Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale, Impact of Weight on Quality‐of‐Life questionnaire, Body Image Scale, Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire, Spinal Cord Injury Exercise Self‐Efficacy Scale, and G‐Food Craving Questionnaire pre‐operatively and 12 months post‐operatively. A medical professional measured patients’ weight during each assessment. Data were analysed using repeated measures t‐tests and multivariate regression analyses with Benjamini–Hochberg correction for multiple testing. Results Patients’ BMI, depression, and food cravings decreased significantly after surgery while quality of life, body image satisfaction, and self‐efficacy to exercise improved. Higher self‐compassion was associated with lower post‐operative depression, greater quality of life, higher body image satisfaction, and better self‐efficacy for eating behaviours (p‐values