Perceived coping capacity: a comparison between obese patients and patients on long-term sick leave

Overweight is a significant health problem and perceived by many as a disability. While obese persons in the general population are no more likely to suffer from mental disorders, many obese individuals experience significant difficulties coping with their weight and weight-loss failures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the similarities and differences in coping capacity among obese and disabled individuals. We compared a group of obese adults (76 consecutive obese patients, 82% female) with unemployed long-term sick leave disability patients (59 consecutive patients, 46% female) who had an average of 13 +/- 9 months on disability. We used the Perception of Cognitive Structure, Emotion and Control questionnaire (PASEC), which assesses an individual's coping capacity for general problems in life and to specific health problems. Both groups significantly differed from PASEC normative data, suggesting that they had more negative and harmful emotional perceptions of their lives than individuals in the normative sample. Compared to long-term sick leave patients' perceptions of disabilities, obese patients perceived their weight problems with more negative and harmful emotional investment, even after adjustment for gender differences in the groups. This suggests that obese patients may experience substantial difficulties in coping with their weight problems.