"I Want to Lose Weight and it Has to Be Fair": Predictors of Satisfaction After Bariatric Surgery.

PURPOSE

Bariatric surgery (BS) is the most effective technique used to help patients with obesity achieve long-term weight loss. Although many patients report high levels of postoperative satisfaction after BS, some remain unsatisfied with their outcome. Studies of factors that predict postoperative satisfaction have yielded varying results. Weight loss has been identified as a predictor of satisfaction after BS, but debate remains concerning the impact of preoperative expectations and psychological variables. Furthermore, the relevance of attribution and perception of equity to postoperative satisfaction has not been evaluated in patients undergoing BS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We assessed preoperative expectations and the levels of body dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression in 80 patients undergoing BS. Satisfaction, attribution, feeling of equity, and psychological variables were evaluated 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after BS.

RESULTS

Weight loss and equity were the two predictors of satisfaction 6 months after BS. Body dissatisfaction was the main factor predicting satisfaction 1 year after BS, with equity and anxiety having smaller influences. Weight loss and equity were the factors predicting satisfaction 2 years after BS.

CONCLUSION

Our findings support previous results concerning the influence of weight loss on satisfaction after BS. The identification of equity as a factor associated with postoperative satisfaction raises questions regarding the impact of the comparisons made by the patient with others and the consequences of the messages they receive about BS. Moreover, our results underscore the importance of considering the patient's personal experience after BS and not just their weight loss.