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Psychosocial interventions to reduce eating pathology in bariatric surgery patients: a systematic review

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Abstract

Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for severe obesity; however, a subset of patients experience suboptimal outcomes. Psychosocial interventions that address eating pathology may ameliorate negative consequences, although their efficacy has not been examined. Thus, a systematic review to evaluate the impact of psychosocial randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on eating pathology in adults pre and post-bariatric surgery was conducted. Six scientific databases were searched for psychosocial trials assessing eating pathology as an outcome. Ten RCTs representing seven distinct interventions were identified (i.e., four preoperative and six postoperative). Trials utilized cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, acceptance-based treatment, motivational interviewing, and psychoeducational interventions. Findings provide initial support for reducing eating pathology pre and postoperatively in the short-term (i.e., 6 months); however, the small number of RCTs and heterogeneity among postoperative trials made it difficult to draw conclusions. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to determine the long-term impact of psychosocial interventions that address eating pathology in bariatric surgery patients endorsing significant eating pathology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Alison Kaylen-Reynard Newman, Sylvia Herbozo & Heather Eisele

  2. Department of Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Alison Kaylen-Reynard Newman, Sylvia Herbozo, Heather Eisele & Chandra Hassan

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Andrea Russell

  4. School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Lindsay Zasadzinski

  5. Department of Family Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA

    Lisa Sanchez-Johnsen

  6. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Lisa Sanchez-Johnsen

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  1. Alison Kaylen-Reynard Newman
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  2. Sylvia Herbozo
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  3. Andrea Russell
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  4. Heather Eisele
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  7. Lisa Sanchez-Johnsen
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Correspondence to Alison Kaylen-Reynard Newman.

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All procedures followed were in accordance with ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

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Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study

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Newman, A.KR., Herbozo, S., Russell, A. et al. Psychosocial interventions to reduce eating pathology in bariatric surgery patients: a systematic review. J Behav Med 44, 421–436 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-021-00201-5

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