Biomedical subjects

Guus L van Heck

Publications and source records attributed to Guus L van Heck.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Relations between negative affect, coping, and emotional eating.

The study was designed to examine the relations between negative affect, coping, and emotional eating. It was tested whether emotion-oriented coping and avoidance distraction, alone or in interaction with negative affect, were related to increased levels of emotional eating. Participants were 125 eating-disordered women and 132 women representing a community population. Measures included the Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule (PANAS), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ). Both emotion-oriented coping and avoidance distraction were related to emotional eating, while controlling for levels of negative affect. Negative affect did not have a unique contribution to emotional eating over and above emotion-oriented coping or avoidance distraction. The findings suggest that emotional eating is related to reliance on emotion-oriented coping and avoidance distraction in eating-disordered women as well as in relatively healthy women.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Psychological profile of candidates for vertical banded gastroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Because bariatric surgery is a forced behavior modification and the operation represents only one element in it, behavioral and psychological factors play an important role in its results. Consequently, better understanding of candidates for bariatric surgery may improve selection for and success with this intervention. METHODS: In this study, the psychological profile of candidates for vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) was investigated. In the context of preoperative psychological evaluation, 153 patients were interviewed by a psychologist and completed a battery of psychological tests. RESULTS: Compared to varying samples of the general population, candidates for VBG, especially females, experienced more psychological difficulties, more disturbed eating patterns, poor body attitude, and poor quality of life (QoL). In addition, 3 subgroups could be identified, ranging from relatively good to relatively poor psychological functioning. CONCLUSION: Preoperatively, candidates for VBG struggle with a diversity of problems; however, some patients are less negatively affected by their obesity than others.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Psychosocial functioning following bariatric surgery.

Morbid obesity is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality as well as psychosocial problems and poor quality of life. The ultimate goal of bariatric surgery is not only reduced weight and reduction of co-morbidities, but also improved psychosocial functioning and quality of life. However, not all patients are successful. A systematic literature search of recent articles identified relevant variables reflecting postoperative psychosocial functioning. Most studies showed that bariatric surgery does not only lead to substantial weight reduction, but also to improvement or cure of physical as well as psychological co-morbidities. Although most studies are optimistic and report broad psychosocial improvement, a significant minority of patients do not benefit psychologically from surgery. Although there are mixed results, the overall improvements in psychosocial functioning provide additional justification for surgical treatment of morbid obesity.

Bariatric Surgery↗

PubMed2005

Psychosocial predictors of success following bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is the treatment of choice for morbid obesity, but it does not lead to equal results in every patient. In addition to surgery, a number of non-surgical and psychological factors may influence patients' ability to adjust to the postoperative condition. Understanding the relationship between potential predictive variables and success after bariatric surgery will enable better patient selection, and the development of interventions to improve outcome. METHODS: A systematic literature search identified relevant variables, such as demography, preoperative weight, motivation, expectations, eating behavior, psychological functioning, personality, and psychiatric disorders, which may have predictive value for success after bariatric surgery. RESULTS: Greater success following bariatric surgery appears to occur in patients who are young and female, and have a high self-esteem, good mental health, a satisfactory marriage, and high socio-economic status, who are self-critical and cope in a direct and active way, are not too obese, were obese before the age of 18, suffer from and are concerned about their obesity, have realistic expectations and undisturbed eating behaviors. Occasionally, these variables may have poor or no predictive value. Although reliable predictors are lacking, most treatment teams propose their own exclusion criteria. CONCLUSION: The existing literature about potential predictors of success after bariatric surgery is far from conclusive; it is still uncertain which factors can predict success. Even where psychosocial functioning does not predict outcome, it is important to identify patients' characteristics which may be linked to their prognosis and to provide necessary pre- and postoperative psychosocial interventions.

Bariatrics↗

PubMed2004

Psychological profile of the morbidly obese.

BACKGROUND: In the surgical treatment of morbid obesity, surgery on its own represents only one element. In fact, bariatric surgery is a forced behavior modification; in addition to surgery, psychological factors play an important role in its results. Because of the importance of the psychological factors and the possibility to intervene in them, there is a need for a better understanding of morbidly obese patients, especially those who are candidates for bariatric surgery. Thus, this article reviews their psychological profile. METHODS: A systematic literature search identified relevant variables reflecting personality and psychopathology, eating behavior, social problems, and quality of life. RESULTS: Morbidly obese patients are described as depressed, anxious,having poor impulse control, low self-esteem, and impaired quality of life. Dieting, rigid control, and disinhibition characterize their eating behavior. This seems to be especially true for morbidly obese patients seeking surgical treatment for their obesity. CONCLUSION: The existing literature about the characteristics of the morbidly obese is far from conclusive; this may in part be due to the use of poor methods of assessment.

Comorbidity↗