title: Exploring Partners' Experiences in Living with Patients Who Undergo Bariatric Surgery.
abstract: Bariatric surgery is effective in assisting persons with severe obesity in achieving significant weight loss and improved health; however, success depends on one's lifelong commitment to lifestyle modifications post-operatively. Life partners can be essential to the success of bariatric patients as they can serve as a primary resource to patients and healthcare teams. This study aimed to explore bariatric patients' partner's experiences in order to help inform clinical practice in bariatric care to better address patient and partner needs.
  
  
  
  This study utilized a grounded theory analysis of ten semi-structured interviews of male partners of bariatric surgery patients to form a general explanatory framework of the partner experience.
  
  
  
  Participants described three interconnected processes of change that followed after their spouses surgeries: (1) effort put forth to engage in the surgical process with their spouses, (2) adoption of the behavioural changes made by their spouses and (3) adjustment to a "new normal". For those who engaged in all three processes, optimism for the future and an enriching and synergistic harmonized lifestyle with their spouse was reached.
  
  
  
  Bariatric surgery in one partner can impact couples' dietary behaviours, physical and leisure activities, physical and emotional intimacy and relationship quality as a whole. Pursuing bariatric surgery as a couple is a unique process. This study highlights the necessity to approach bariatric care in a way that targets the whole spousal unit as engaging both members in lifestyle modification may improve the quality of both their health and relationship overall.
authors.affiliation: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M5T 2S8, Canada. anna.wallwork@uhn.ca.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wallwork
authors.affiliation: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M5T 2S8, Canada.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.affiliation: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M5T 2S8, Canada.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: Bariatric Surgery Program, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, M5T 2S8, Canada.|Centre for Mental Health, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sockalingam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D000072858:Psychosocial Support Systems; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Bariatric surgery; Couples; Obesity; Partners; Qualitative methods; Support