title: Treatment choice and psychometric characteristics: differences between patients who choose bariatric surgical treatment and those who do not.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Among the treatment options offered to patients with severe obesity are surgery and psychotherapy plus dieting. The treatment choice may reflect differences in the psychology of these patients. The objective was to assess the psychopathological differences between patients with obesity who choose surgery and those who choose non-surgical treatment to lose weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  100 patients with obesity (50 in the non-surgical group [NS]; and 50 in the surgical group [S]; 41 women and 9 men in each group) completed the MMPI-2 and the EDI-2; for the latter, data from 21 S and 24 NS women were available. Comparisons were carried out through analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NS group scored higher on the Pa (paranoia) and Pt (psychasthenia) scales of the MMPI-2 compared to the S group. No differences were found on the EDI-2; however, both groups scored higher on the drive-for-thinness and body-dissatisfaction scales, and the NS group scored higher on the bulimia and ineffectiveness scales.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MMPI-2 was able to distinguish between the NS and S groups, while the EDI-2 found significant eating-related psychopathology in both.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, La Sapienza University, 2nd Medical School, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy. larabancheri@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bancheri
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Patrizi
authors.forename: Giorgio D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kotzalidis
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mosticoni
authors.forename: Trofimena
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gargano
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Angrisani
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tatarelli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000523:psychology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016896:Treatment Outcome