The prognostic significance of depressive symptoms for predicting quality of life 12 months after gastric bypass.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to examine the relative prognostic significance of weight and depressive symptoms for 12-month postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQL) in extremely obese gastric bypass patients.


METHODS
Participants comprised 137 extremely obese patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Presurgery and 12 months postsurgery participants completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey, a standard measure of HRQL, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Regression analyses were performed to predict HRQL, both before and 12 months after surgery, by using demographic variables, and measures of body mass index (BMI) and depressive symptoms as predictors.


RESULTS
At baseline the predictors accounted for 19% of the variance of physical HRQL, and 56% of the variance of mental HRQL. At 12 months after surgery, the predictors accounted for 32% of the variance of physical HRQL and 48% of mental HRQL. In the prediction of 12-month postoperative HRQL, baseline BMI, BMI unit change, baseline BDI, and improvements in BDI score made significant contributions to most of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey scales. Demography contributed little to these predictor analyses. Depressive symptoms made greater contributions than weight and demography, and change in BDI score made the greatest contributions (ranging from 3% to 37%) of all the variables tested.


CONCLUSIONS
Measures of weight and depressive symptoms were useful in predicting quality of life both before and 12 months after gastric bypass surgery; however, this is the first study to document that improvements in HRQL postsurgery may be largely related to improved depressive symptoms.
Masheb
Robin M
RM
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, P.O. Box 208098, New Haven, CT 06520-8098, USA. robin.masheb@yale.edu
White
Marney A
MA
Toth
Claudia M
CM
Burke-Martindale
Carolyn H
CH
Rothschild
Bruce
B
Grilo
Carlos M
CM
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015390:Gastric Bypass / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires