David Mahony

Publications (4) View all

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  Available from: David Mahony

  Article: Assessing sexual abuse/attack histories with bariatric surgery patients.

  David Mahony
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  ABSTRACT: This study assessed sexual abuse/attack histories in 573 [corrected] bariatric surgery patients using the PsyBari. The prevalence rates found were lower (15.5%, 19.3% of women, 5.2% of men) than other studies that used bariatric surgery patients but consistent with studies that used nonbariatric obese subjects. Furthermore, bariatric surgery patients who disclosed sexual abuse/attack were more likely to disclose physical abuse, psychological problems, psychological treatment, psychiatric medication, and psychiatric hospitalization. Among bariatric surgery patients who disclosed sexual abuse/attack, females were more likely to disclose suicidal ideation. A logistic regression found that for females, physical abuse and suicidal ideation reliably predicted abuse/attack status. For males, psychological problems, psychiatric medications, hospitalization, and suicidal ideation, reliably predicted abuse/attack status.
  Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 07/2010; 19(4):469-84. · 0.75 Impact Factor
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  Available from: David Mahony

  Article: Psychological assessments of bariatric surgery patients. Development, reliability, and exploratory factor analysis of the PsyBari.

  David Mahony
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  ABSTRACT: Bariatric surgery patients are required to receive psychological clearance before they are eligible for surgery. In spite of this, there are no standard assessment practices or tests designed specifically for these evaluations. The objective of this study is to determine the reliability and construct validity of the PsyBari, a psychological test designed for bariatric surgery patients. The PsyBari was administered to 752 patients. Internal consistency reliability and exploratory factor analyses were conducted. Items with high percentages of missing data, low communalities, and low item loadings were identified and deleted. Cronbach's α = 0.930 (0.940 for males and 0.927 for females). Six factors were obtained for each gender: for females, awareness of eating habits, early life problems due to weight, dysphoric feelings about weight, weight-related impairment, surgical anxiety, and guilty feelings related to eating; for males, physical impairment with depression, awareness of eating habits, early life problems due to weight, interpersonal support with anxiety about weight, anger, and guilty feelings about eating habits. Results indicate that there are unique psychometric parameters when constructing tests for bariatric surgery patients. The PsyBari has good overall reliability, although two of the 11 subscales have poor reliability. Factor analyses revealed six factors for each gender. Some factors were common for both genders, some were unique for each gender, and some consisted of mixed constructs.
  Obesity Surgery 03/2010; 21(9):1395-406. · 3.29 Impact Factor
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  Available from: David Mahony

  Article: Standardizing Presurgical Psychological Evaluations with the PsyBari Psychological Test

  D. Mahony
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  ABSTRACT: This article is a review of the PsyBari, a psychological test designed specifically for bariatric surgery candidates.
  Bariatric Times. 01/2010; 7:1.
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  Available from: David Mahony

  Article: Psychological gender differences in bariatric surgery candidates.

  David Mahony
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  ABSTRACT: Over 177,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2006. Most patients are required to receive presurgical psychological clearance, although there are no empirically validated psycho-surgical risk factors. In an effort to establish normative data on suspected risk factors, the present study was conducted to determine if males and females differ on psycho-surgical risk factors. Subjects consisted of 361 consecutive bariatric surgery candidates undergoing a psychological evaluation in a private practice setting. They were administered the PsyBari, a test that detects and measures psycho-surgical risk factors, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2). The results indicate that males have significantly higher BMIs than females (p=0.035). Females have tried significantly more diets than males (p<0.000). Females are significantly more likely to report a history of depression than males (p<0.000). Females received significantly higher scores on the PsyBari Depression Index than males (p<0.000.). Females received significantly higher BDI-2 scores than males (p<0.001). Females are significantly more likely to report a history of anxiety than males (p=0.004). Females received significantly higher scores on the PsyBari Social Anxiety Index than males (p=0.038). The results indicate that males and females differ significantly on suspected psycho-surgical risk factors. Assessments of bariatric surgery candidates should recognize that males and females have different baselines for psycho-surgical risk factors. Further research on bariatric surgery candidates should report results separated by gender.
  Obesity Surgery 03/2008; 18(5):607-10. · 3.29 Impact Factor