Personality Subtypes in Female Pre-Bariatric Obese Patients: Do They Differ in Eating Disorder Symptoms, Psychological Complaints and Coping Behaviour?

Abstract

In the pre-bariatric psychological assessment of 102 morbidly obese women, two personality subtypes emerged: a resilient/high functioning subtype with a 'normal' personality profile and an emotional dysregulated/undercontrolled subtype, characterized by high neuroticism and low extraversion/conscientiousness. Emotional dysregulated/undercontrolled patients showed more concerns about eating/weight/shape, more binge eating driven by emotions and external triggers, more psychological complaints (such as depression and anxiety) and more avoidance and depressive coping reactions than resilient/high functioning patients. Further research should clarify whether these clearly different psychological profiles are related to different outcomes (weight loss or well-being) of bariatric surgery. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.