Outcome following gastric bypass surgery: Impact of past, sexual abuse

Background: This study examined gastric bypass (GBP) outcome in 2 groups of morbidly obese females: those with a history of sexual abuse (SA) and those without a history of sexual abuse (NSA). Methods: Subjects were assessed preoperatively and at one of two time points following surgery: either 5 to 9 months or 10 to 14 months. Outcome measures included BMI, level of depression as measured through the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and level of self-esteem as measured through the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). T-tests were conducted for pre and post scores between the 2 groups on each of the variables. Results: Of the 12 tests conducted, the only statistically significant difference was on BDI scores for the 5 to 9 month post-surgery groups, with the SA groups showing a significantly higher level of depression than the NSA group. Conclusions: The results suggest that females with a history of sexual abuse are as successful with weight loss following GBP as those without a history of abuse. While females with a history of sexual abuse show significantly more depression 5 to 9 months after surgery, they are indistinguishable from those without a history of abuse 1 year following GBR Thus, sexual abuse does not appear to be a negative prognostic indicator for GBP.