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Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Depression: Role of Body Image
Simone C Behrens1, Konrad Lenhard2, Florian Junne2
1Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. simone.behrens@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
Background:
It has been suggested that psychosocial functioning improves after bariatric surgery, but the mechanism of this effect remains unclear. We propose that body image mediates the association between %EWL and improvement in depressive symptoms.
Materials And Methods:
To investigate this hypothesis, we conducted a mediation analysis in longitudinal data from 52 patients after LSG.
Results:
%EWL had no direct effect on depressive symptoms as assessed through the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), but a small indirect effect that was mediated through negative evaluation of the body (BIQ-20).
Conclusions:
We interpret this observation in the context of complex individual etiologies of obesity and argue for a stronger focus on psychological interventions in aftercare regimes. This may be specifically relevant for patients with eating disorders or a desire for body contouring surgery.
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