Association of Body Image and Body Mass Index with psychological outcomes in obese patients.
Abstract PurposeThe purpose of this study was to test whether higher dissatisfaction with one's own body image, majorly than the body mass index (BMI), may be associated with higher levels of psychopathological aspects, hopelessness feelings, and psychophysical health. MethodsFifty-nine patients undergoing bariatric surgery filled out the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, the Body Uneasiness Test, the 12-item Short Form Survey, the Beck Inventory Scale II, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Correlations and multiple regressions between measures were performed.ResultsDissatisfaction with the perception of one's own body image was strongly correlated with a worse psychophysiological health. On the contrary, BMI showed no significant correlation with the previous variables. Furthermore, the perception of one's own body image significantly predicted the state of psychological health.ConclusionThe findings of the present study showed a more relevant role of body image compared to the BMI in the association with psychological outcomes suggesting the importance to consider body image in the assessment and treatment of obese patients. Level of evidencelevel II, evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.