Childhood Maltreatment in Extremely Obese Male and Female Bariatric Surgery Candidates**
Open accessAbstract
Objective: To examine rates of self‐reported childhood maltreatment in extremely obese bariatric surgery candidates and to explore associations with sex, eating disorder features, and psychological functioning. Research Methods and Procedures: Three hundred forty (58 men and 282 women) extremely obese consecutive candidates for gastric bypass surgery completed a questionnaire battery. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was given to assess childhood maltreatment. Results: Overall, 69% of patients self‐reported childhood maltreatment: 46% reported emotional abuse, 29% reported physical abuse, 32% reported sexual abuse, 49% reported emotional neglect, and 32% reported physical neglect. Except for higher rates of emotional abuse reported by women, different forms of maltreatment did not differ significantly by sex. Different forms of maltreatment were generally not associated with binge eating, current BMI, or eating disorder features. At the Bonferonni‐corrected significance level, emotional abuse was associated with higher eating concerns and body dissatisfaction, and emotional neglect was associated with higher eating concerns. In terms of psychological functioning, at the Bonferonni‐corrected level, emotional abuse and emotional neglect were associated with higher depression and lower self‐esteem, and physical abuse was associated with higher depression. Discussion: Extremely obese bariatric surgery candidates reported rates of maltreatment comparable with those reported by clinical groups and roughly two to three times higher than normative community samples. Reported experiences of maltreatment differed little by sex and were generally not significantly associated with current BMI, binge eating, or eating disorder features. In contrast, maltreatment—notably emotional abuse and neglect—were significantly associated with higher depression and lower self‐esteem.
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Severely obese adults undergoing gastric bypass surgery had prevalence rates of childhood abuse as high as 76% even after accounting for factors such as stigma, shame and guilt associated with underreporting.
“Another study found that severely obese adults undergoing gastric bypass surgery had prevalence rates of childhood abuse as high as 76% even after accounting for factors such as stigma, shame and guilt associated with underreporting 6.”
From History of early life adversity is associated with increased food addiction and sex-specific alterations in reward network connectivity in obesity (2019) · cites this paper as [6]
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- Authors
- Grilo, C. M., Masheb, R. M., Brody, M., Toth, C., Burke‐Martindale, C. H., & Rothschild, B. S.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- University of Hartford (US)
- Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Grilo, Carlos M.
- Venue
- Obesity Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-01
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 123-130
- ISSN
- 1071-7323 (ISSN-L)
- 1550-8528
- OpenAlex
- W2160732294
- Cited by
- 153
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 12.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Obesity Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Bariatric Surgery and Outcomes
- Keywords
- child abuse, childhood abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, bariatric surgery candidates, gastric bypass, binge eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, self-esteem, sex differences
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Body Image, Child, Child Abuse, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Obesity, Morbid, Surveys and Questionnaires, Gastric Bypass
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