The Obesity Adjustment Survey: development of a scale to assess psychological adjustment to morbid obesity.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a reliable and valid measure of distress, related to extreme obesity.


METHODS
Items related to distress over obesity were selected from the literature, clinical experience and from input provided by a gastroplasty patient support group. The items were assessed in a longitudinal study, with the body mass index (BMI) and psychological assessment occurring 2-6 months prior to, and 12 months following, gastroplasty surgery.


METHODS
81 females and eight males (mean age 35.9 y) who had been accepted for gastroplasty surgery. All but two of the patients had BMIs > 40 (Mean = 48.11, s.d. = 6.84).


METHODS
BMIs were calculated using weight and height. Psychological characteristics were assessed using the Mental Health Inventory (MHI), the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), and the Eating Inventory (EI). Demographic information was collected with a questionnaire.


RESULTS
Attempts to factor analyse the 95 item questionnaire were unsuccessful. Alternatively, a shorter, 20 item questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire shows good test-retest reliability (r = 0.867), good internal consistency (coefficient alpha = 0.719), good face and construct validity, and is sensitive to pre-post surgical change.


CONCLUSIONS
The Obesity Adjustment Survey (OAS) may be useful as a brief measure of distress in obese individuals. This measure can be used to index the psychological impact of gastroplasty surgery on psychological functioning, and can be used in future research as a disease-specific measure to predict success of surgery.
Butler
G S
GS
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. gordon.butler@dal.ca
Vallis
T M
TM
Perey
B
B
Veldhuyzen van Zanten
S J
SJ
MacDonald
A S
AS
Konok
G
G
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*