Insomnia is associated with impaired quality of life among bariatric surgery candidates.

Little is known about the prevalence or impact of insomnia symptoms in obese individuals pursuing bariatric surgery. The present study from the Rhode Island Bariatric Surgery (RIBS) project examined insomnia symptoms among 2300 individuals pursuing bariatric surgery. Patients were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID), Schedule for Affective Disorders (SADS), Rhode Island Bariatric Surgery Interview (RIBSI), and the SF-36 as a measure of quality of life.

Diagnosing social anxiety disorder in the presence of obesity: implications for a proposed change in DSM-5.

Background: The proposed draft of the DSM-5 from the Anxiety Disorder Workgroup recommends allowing the diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in individuals with medical conditions, if the anxiety is considered to be excessive. Although prior research has examined diagnosing SAD in individuals with stuttering, such research has not yet been conducted in obese individuals.

Methods: This study compared demographic and clinical characteristics of obese individuals diagnosed with DSM-IV SAD (n = 135), modified SAD (clinically significant social anxiety related to weight only; n = 40), and a group of obese individuals with no history of psychiatric disorders (n = 616).

Severe insomnia is associated with more severe presentation and greater functional deficits in depression.

Depression is among the most common reasons for seeking psychiatric treatment, and insomnia symptoms are common in the clinical picture of depression. The present study examines the clinical presentation and psychosocial functioning among depressed outpatients with severe symptoms of insomnia in comparison to depressed outpatients without severe insomnia symptoms. The present sample included 2900 treatment-seeking individuals, with 1057 patients having a principal diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Impact of obesity on the psychometric properties of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for major depressive disorder.

Obesity is associated with several symptoms that are components of the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). Compared with nonobese individuals, obese individuals report more fatigue, sleep disturbance, and overeating. Obesity might, therefore, impact the psychometric properties of the MDD criteria.

Multidimensional body image comparisons among patients with eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and clinical controls: a multisite study.

Body image disturbance is considered a core characteristic of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), however its definition has been unclear within the literature. This study examined the multidimensional nature of body image functioning among individuals with either anorexia nervosa (AN; n=35), bulimia nervosa (BN; n=26), or BDD (n=56), relative to female (n=34) and male (n=36) psychiatric controls. Participants were recruited from 10 treatment centers in the United States and England and completed psychometrically validated and standardized self-report measures of body image.

Overvaluation of shape and weight in binge eating disorder and overweight controls: refinement of a diagnostic construct.

Debate continues regarding the nosological status of binge eating disorder (BED) as a diagnosis as opposed to simply reflecting a useful marker for psychopathology. Contention also exists regarding the specific criteria for the BED diagnosis, including whether, like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, it should be characterized by overvaluation of shape/weight. The authors compared features of eating disorders, psychological distress, and weight among overweight BED participants who overvalue their shape/weight (n=92), BED participants with subclinical levels of overvaluation (n=73), and participants in an overweight comparison group without BED (n=45).

Psychometric evaluation of the eating disorder examination-questionnaire for bariatric surgery candidates.

Objective: Despite increasing use of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in bariatric surgery patients, little is known about the utility and psychometric performance of this self-report measure in this clinical group. The primary purpose of the current study was to evaluate the factor structure and construct validity of the EDE-Q in a large series of bariatric surgery candidates.

Methods And Procedures: Participants were 337 obese bariatric surgery candidates.

Body image and psychosocial differences among stable average weight, currently overweight, and formerly overweight women: the role of stigmatizing experiences.

Substantial research has compared obese and nonobese persons on body image and psychosocial adjustment. While differences in body satisfaction are often observed, the literature is less clear on other dimensions. Extant differences are typically thought to result from the social stigmatization and maltreatment experienced by obese persons, especially females.

Overvaluation of shape and weight in binge eating disorder.

The excessive influence of shape or weight on self-evaluation--referred to as overvaluation--is considered by some a central feature across eating disorders but is not a diagnostic requirement for binge eating disorder (BED). This study examined shape/weight overvaluation in 399 consecutive patients with BED. Participants completed semistructured interviews, including the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE; C.

A prospective study of body dissatisfaction and concerns in extremely obese gastric bypass patients: 6- and 12-month postoperative outcomes.

Background: Body image is a multifaceted construct commonly associated with obesity. This study examined changes in body dissatisfaction, and shape and weight concerns in bariatric surgery patients from baseline to 6 and 12 months post-surgery.

Methods: 109 extremely obese patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery completed the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), and the Shape and Weight Concern subscales of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) at baseline, and 6 and 12 months post-surgery.

Body image and eating disordered behavior in a community sample of Black and Hispanic women.

Objective: The current study examined body image concerns and eating disordered behaviors in a community sample of Black and Hispanic women. In addition, this study explored whether there are ethnic differences in the correlates or in the prediction of body image concerns.

Method: Participants were 120 (67 Black and 53 Hispanic) women who responded to advertisements to participate in a study of women and health.

Physical activity and its correlates in treatment-seeking obese patients with binge eating disorder.

Objective: This study examined the physical activity levels reported by obese individuals with binge eating disorder (BED), as well as the relationships between physical activity and body mass index (BMI), features of eating disorders, and associated psychological variables.

Method: A series of 166 obese treatment-seeking adults (121 women and 45 men) with BED were administered structured diagnostic interviews and self-report questionnaires.

Results: This clinical group was found to be extremely sedentary.

The effects of psychoeducation and self-monitoring in a cognitive-behavioral program for body-image improvement.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an efficacious treatment for body-image difficulties and disorders. The current study evaluated two combined components of Cash's (1997) self-administered body-image CBT program--psychoeducation and self-monitoring. Twenty-five body-dissatisfied college students enrolled in the three-week program and were required to hand in homework weekly in brief meetings with the experimenter.

How has body image changed? A cross-sectional investigation of college women and men from 1983 to 2001.

Body-image dissatisfaction is not uncommon and can adversely affect individuals' psychosocial functioning and quality of life. Various oft-cited surveys and a meta-analysis implicate a worsening of body image over the past several decades, especially among women and possibly among men. The present cross-sectional study examined changes in multiple facets of body image among 3,127 college students from 1983 through 2001; the same standardized assessment was used in 22 studies conducted within the same university.

The assessment of body image investment: an extensive revision of the appearance schemas inventory.

Objective: The Appearance Schemas Inventory (ASI) is a 14-item instrument that assesses body image investment in relation to certain beliefs or assumptions about the importance, meaning, and influence of appearance in one's life. Despite empirical support of the ASI, critical examination evinces several limitations of this assessment. These problems entail the inclusion of explicitly self-evaluative items and social stereotypes, few behavioral items, and a repeated failure to find expected gender differences on the ASI.