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Depressed Mood in Class III Obesity Predicted by Weight-Related Stigma

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Background

Greater depressed mood in Class III obese surgery-seeking clients may be due to weightrelated stigma, weight-related physical disability (e.g. mobility) or the presence of binge-eating (BE).

Methods

60 Class III obese surgery-seeking adults were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), weight-related physical disability (IWQOL-PF) and another weight-related stigma (IWQOL-PD), and assessed for BE (SCID-1 or Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns) before surgery.

Results

In a hierarchical regression analysis, BMI, gender, and age of obesity onset did not account for a significant portion of the variance in BDI scores in the first step. The second step of the model was statistically significant (F(3,53)––.469, P–lt;–.000), accounting for 33.6% of the variance in BDI scores. IWQOLPD scores were the only significant predictor of BDI scores (b––.518, P––.001), and this independently contributed to 32.6% of the variance in BDI scores.

Conclusion

This suggests that depressed mood seen in Class III obese surgery-seeking individuals may be most related to weight-related stigma rather than BE status, or weight-related physical disability.

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Correspondence to Eunice Y. Chen PhD.

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Chen, E.Y., Bocchieri-Ricciardi, L.E., Munoz, D. et al. Depressed Mood in Class III Obesity Predicted by Weight-Related Stigma. OBES SURG 17, 669–671 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-007-9112-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-007-9112-4

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