Date of Graduation

Spring 2008

Degree

Master of Science in Psychology

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Danae Hudson

Abstract

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a surgical weight loss procedure that results in acceptable weight loss with fewer complications compared to other weight loss surgeries. While much of the literature on surgical weight loss focuses on the physical effects of the surgery, some research has also assessed psychological changes as result of weight loss surgery. However, often these studies focus on only one or two psychological variables and relatively few have documented the effects of eight loss surgery on psychopathology such as anxiety. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine the effects of surgical weight loss on physical and psychological issues, including a broad range of psychopathology. This Masters Thesis is part of a larger ongoing study and currently includes 4 participants who underwent LAGB at a local hospital. Data collection consisted of a battery of questionnaires completed before surgery as well as 3-months post-surgery. Questionnaires were used to assess psychological changes such as health related quality of life, body image, depression, binge eating, self esteem, and other psychopathology. Medical issues were also assessed using data from patients' medical records. Due to the current small sample size, primarily descriptive, single subject analyses were performed. Dependent t-tests and effect sizes were also calculated to examine changes over time. Preliminary findings indicate a number of obesity related medical issues. Post-surgery, all participants indicated improvements in medical conditions. Visual examination of each individual's scores, as well as group effect sizes, indicated improvement in health related quality of life, body image, depression, bind eating, self-esteem, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, anxiety, hostility, obsessions-compulsions, interpersonal sensitivity, and somatization.

Keywords

bariatric surgery, Lap Band, quality of life, depression, anxiety

Subject Categories

Psychology

Copyright

© Nathaniel Dennis Barnicle

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