Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Silvia Bigatti

Abstract

Obesity has grown to epidemic proportions in the United States with approximately 40% of women and 30% of men having a body mass index greater than 35. Bariatric surgery is an effective form of weight loss. However, weight regain is a problem, with 50% of persons undergoing bariatric surgery experiencing a weight regain of 5% within 2 years of surgery and only 40% maintaining a loss of 30% or more long-term. Potential biological, psychological, and social issues can negatively impact the long-term success of weight management for many bariatric surgery patients. Research is significantly limited within this area and it is not clear what the effects of biopsychosocial issues are on successful long-term weight maintenance. Therefore, the current research sought to gain a robust understanding of the medical/biological, psychological, and social issues that are experienced following surgery as presented within an anonymous online bariatric forum. Generic qualitative methodology used for thematic data analysis of archival information collected from an online support forum identified 10 thematic biopsychosocial issues that gastric sleeve patients experience: continued poor habits, seeking therapy, hiding bariatric surgery, factors in weight loss, comorbidities of gastric sleeve surgery, revision from prior surgery to gastric sleeve, essential support needs, feeling increased emotional presence, social treatment within the weight loss journey, and self-harm and suicidal presence. These findings could assist practitioners within the area of bariatric surgery to integrate a comprehensive treatment for bariatric surgery patients, and as a result improve weight loss and maintenance for these patients.

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