Objective: To examine whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) alleviates dysfunctional eating (DE) patterns and symptoms of anxiety and depression in morbidly obese patients planned for bariatric surgery.
Design and methods: A total of 98 (68 females) patients with a mean (SD) age of 43 (10) years and BMI 43.5 (4.9) kg/m(2) were randomly assigned to a CBT-group or a control group receiving usual care (i.e., nutritional support and education). The CBT-group received ten weekly intervention sessions. DE, anxiety, and depression were assessed by the TFEQ R-21 and HADS, respectively.
Results: Compared with controls, the CBT-patients showed significantly less DE, affective symptoms, and a larger weight loss at follow-up. The effect sizes were large (DE-cognitive restraint, g = -.92, P ≤ .001; DE-uncontrolled eating, g = -.90, P ≤ .001), moderate (HADS-depression, g = -.73, P ≤ .001; DE-emotional eating, g = -.67, P ≤ .001; HADS-anxiety, g = -.62, P = .003), and low (BMI, g = -.24, P = .004).
Conclusion: This study supports the use of CBT in helping patients preparing for bariatric surgery to reduce DE and to improve mental health. This clinical trial is registered with NCT01403558.