OBJECTIVE: The surgical treatment of obesity is becoming increasingly popular; yet, little is known about the self-harm characteristics and adjunctive self-regulation difficulties of those seeking such surgery. In the literature, one study has explored presurgery suicide attempts and several studies have explored the prevalence of postsurgical completed suicides. However, beyond suicide attempts and completions, little is known about the broader self-harm/self-regulation profiles of these patients. In this study, we examined the prevalence of 22 such behaviors among a sample of gastric surgery candidates. METHOD: Using a cross-sectional approach, we examined 121 surgical candidates for 22 self-reported self-harm and self-regulatory behaviors. RESULTS: The studied behaviors with the highest prevalence rates in this cohort were sexual promiscuity (22.3%), torturing oneself with self-defeating thoughts (20.7%), alcohol abuse (19.0%), and engaging in emotionally abusive relationships (16.5%). With regard to suicide attempts, 9.1% of participants acknowledged a history and 9.1% reported past overdoses. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that (a) adjunctive self-regulatory difficulties may affect a substantial minority of individuals who are seeking gastric surgery for obesity (e.g., promiscuity and alcohol abuse), and (b) the anticipated prevalence rate for past suicide attempts in this population appears to be approximately 10%.
OBJECTIVE: The surgical treatment of obesity is becoming increasingly popular; yet, little is known about the self-harm characteristics and adjunctive self-regulation difficulties of those seeking such surgery. In the literature, one study has explored presurgery suicide attempts and several studies have explored the prevalence of postsurgical completed suicides. However, beyond suicide attempts and completions, little is known about the broader self-harm/self-regulation profiles of these patients. In this study, we examined the prevalence of 22 such behaviors among a sample of gastric surgery candidates. METHOD: Using a cross-sectional approach, we examined 121 surgical candidates for 22 self-reported self-harm and self-regulatory behaviors. RESULTS: The studied behaviors with the highest prevalence rates in this cohort were sexual promiscuity (22.3%), torturing oneself with self-defeating thoughts (20.7%), alcohol abuse (19.0%), and engaging in emotionally abusive relationships (16.5%). With regard to suicide attempts, 9.1% of participants acknowledged a history and 9.1% reported past overdoses. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that (a) adjunctive self-regulatory difficulties may affect a substantial minority of individuals who are seeking gastric surgery for obesity (e.g., promiscuity and alcohol abuse), and (b) the anticipated prevalence rate for past suicide attempts in this population appears to be approximately 10%.
Authors: Jeanne McPhee; Eve Khlyavich Freidl; Julia Eicher; Jeffrey L Zitsman; Michael J Devlin; Tom Hildebrandt; Robyn Sysko Journal: Eur Eat Disord Rev Date: 2015-09-17
Authors: Michelle R Lent; Elizabeth Avakoff; Nicholas Hope; David S Festinger; Christopher D Still; Adam M Cook; Anthony T Petrick; Peter N Benotti; G Craig Wood Journal: Obes Surg Date: 2018-11 Impact factor: 4.129
Authors: Hilary A Tindle; Bennet Omalu; Anita Courcoulas; Marsha Marcus; Jennifer Hammers; Lewis H Kuller Journal: Am J Med Date: 2010-09-16 Impact factor: 4.965
Authors: Kathryn H Gordon; Wendy C King; Gretchen E White; Steven H Belle; Anita P Courcoulas; Faith E Ebel; Scott G Engel; Dave R Flum; Marcelo W Hinojosa; Alfons Pomp; Walter J Pories; Dino Spaniolas; Bruce M Wolfe; Susan Z Yanovski; James E Mitchell Journal: Surg Obes Relat Dis Date: 2018-12-06 Impact factor: 4.734
Authors: Eunice Y Chen; Karla C Fettich; Megan Tierney; Hakeemah Cummings; Johnny Berona; Jessica Weissman; Amanda Ward; Kara Christensen; Matthew Southward; Kathryn H Gordon; James Mitchell; Emil Coccaro Journal: Suicide Life Threat Behav Date: 2012-09-07