title: Psychological gender differences in bariatric surgery candidates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over 177,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2006. Most patients are required to receive presurgical psychological clearance, although there are no empirically validated psycho-surgical risk factors. In an effort to establish normative data on suspected risk factors, the present study was conducted to determine if males and females differ on psycho-surgical risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects consisted of 361 consecutive bariatric surgery candidates undergoing a psychological evaluation in a private practice setting. They were administered the PsyBari, a test that detects and measures psycho-surgical risk factors, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicate that males have significantly higher BMIs than females (p=0.035). Females have tried significantly more diets than males (p<0.000). Females are significantly more likely to report a history of depression than males (p<0.000). Females received significantly higher scores on the PsyBari Depression Index than males (p<0.000.). Females received significantly higher BDI-2 scores than males (p<0.001). Females are significantly more likely to report a history of anxiety than males (p=0.004). Females received significantly higher scores on the PsyBari Social Anxiety Index than males (p=0.038).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that males and females differ significantly on suspected psycho-surgical risk factors. Assessments of bariatric surgery candidates should recognize that males and females have different baselines for psycho-surgical risk factors. Further research on bariatric surgery candidates should report results separated by gender.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Lutheran Medical Center, 150 55 St. Suite 2-45, Brooklyn, New York, NY 11220, USA. dmahony@lmcmc.com
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Mahony
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors