Feasibility of Online Cognitive-behavioral Group Therapy Following Metabolic Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Pilot...

To investigate the applicability of group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered through an online intervention on mental health symptoms and weight change in patients who experienced recurrent weight gain four years after metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Participants were recruited from a university bariatric center. Of the 142 postoperative patients assessed, 33 had regained 15% of the total weight lost from their lowest postoperative weight. After excluding 13 patients who declined to participate, 20 were randomly allocated into two groups: the intervention group, which received eight sessions of online group CBT, and the control group, which attended three psychoeducational lectures. The group CBT sessions included discussions on eating habits, anxiety, and sleep hygiene, with guidance from nutrition and physical education professionals. Homework assignments related to each topic were given to participants to reinforce cognitive and behavioral changes. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T₀) and post-intervention (T₁) using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), the Binge Eating Scale (BES), and body weight.

A marginal reduction in depressive symptoms was observed across both groups (mean difference = -3.35, 95% CI: -6.80 to 0.09; p = 0.06), along with a statistically significant decrease in binge eating behaviors (mean difference = -3.36, 95% CI: -5.43 to -1.29; p = 0.004). However, no significant changes in body mass or anxiety symptoms were observed. In the group CBT condition, the mean attendance was 6.6 sessions; in the control group, it was 2.4 lectures.

Findings from this pilot study suggest that both group CBT and psychoeducational lectures delivered as online interventions were feasible and beneficial for bariatric patients who experienced recurrent weight gain.