Psychological outcome two years after restrictive bariatric surgery

An essential outcome criterion of obesity surgery besides weight loss is the improvement of medical and psychological health status. Both dimensions influence quality of life. This study evaluates depressive symptoms, self-esteem and health-related quality of life 2 years after bariatric surgery.

149 patients (47 males (32%), 102 females (68%), mean age 38.8 +/- 10.3 years) were assessed by standardized questionnaires before and 1 and 2 years after gastric restrictive surgery.

Mean BMI pre-surgery was 51.3 +/- 8.4 kg/m2. BMI decreased significantly to 38.6 +/- 6.8 kg/m2 at 1 year and to 37.9 +/- 7.4 kg/m2 at 2 years after surgery. Statistical analyses revealed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms and a significant improvement in self-esteem and the physical dimension of health-related quality of life. Pre-surgery, 40.5% (n=62) of the patients suffered from depressive symptoms of clinical relevance. These depressive symptoms persisted in 17.7% (n = 27) 1 year and in 16.4% (n = 25) 2 years after surgery.

Parallel with a considerable weight loss after bariatric surgery, important aspects of mental health such as depressive symptoms and self-esteem improved significantly. These effects appear 1 year after surgery, but do not seem to change considerably afterwards.