Well-being and morbid obesity in women: a controlled therapy evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
Morbidly obese individuals are unlikely to reach and maintain normative weights. Thus, interventions aimed at alleviating corollary problems, independent of attempts at weight loss, are appropriate. A cognitive group treatment program (CT) was developed which incorporated a nondieting approach, regular exercise, and use of alternative coping skills. Weight loss per se was not a focus of the intervention. The purpose of the current work was to evaluate this program in a controlled, comparative treatment outcome study.


METHODS
Sixty-two obese women with a history of treatment failures were randomly assigned to the CT program, a behavior therapy weight loss program (BT), or a wait-list control group.


RESULTS
For CT participants, depression, anxiety, and eating-related psychopathology decreased significantly over the course of treatment while perceptions of self-control increased; BT and control subjects showed no significant changes in these variables. Women in both active treatment groups lost significant amounts of weight, while members of the control group showed a nonsignificant increase in weight. At 6-month follow-up, treatment benefits were maintained.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that interventions not directly aimed at weight loss can enhance psychological well-being and thus may be appropriate for some obese women.
Tanco
S
S
Worker's Compensation Board of British Columbia, Richmond.
Linden
W
W
Earle
T
T
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015430:Weight Gain; D015431:Weight Loss