Background  

Over 177,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2006. Most patients are required to receive presurgical psychological clearance, although there are no empirically validated psycho-surgical risk factors. In an effort to establish normative data on suspected risk factors, the present study was conducted to determine if males and females differ on psycho-surgical risk factors.

Methods  

Subjects consisted of 361 consecutive bariatric surgery candidates undergoing a psychological evaluation in a private practice setting. They were administered the PsyBari, a test that detects and measures psycho-surgical risk factors, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2).

Results  

The results indicate that males have significantly higher BMIs than females (p = 0.035). Females have tried significantly more diets than males (p < 0.000). Females are significantly more likely to report a history of depression than males (p < 0.000). Females received significantly higher scores on the PsyBari Depression Index than males (p < 0.000.). Females received significantly higher BDI-2 scores than males (p < 0.001). Females are significantly more likely to report a history of anxiety than males (p = 0.004). Females received significantly higher scores on the PsyBari Social Anxiety Index than males (p = 0.038).

Conclusion  

The results indicate that males and females differ significantly on suspected psycho-surgical risk factors. Assessments of bariatric surgery candidates should recognize that males and females have different baselines for psycho-surgical risk factors. Further research on bariatric surgery candidates should report results separated by gender.