Two-Year Study on the Impact of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescents and Young Adults with Moderate to Severe Obesity

Purpose

Sleeve gastrectomy (SG), the most commonly performed weight loss surgery in adolescents and young adults with moderate to severe obesity, is highly effective for weight loss. Current literature regarding depressive and anxiety symptomatology following SG in youth is sparse and conflicting. We evaluated changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and young adults with moderate to severe obesity 2 years following SG compared with non-surgical controls (NS) followed for a similar duration.

Materials and Methods

Forty-six youth 13–25 years old with moderate-severe obesity (33 female) were followed for 2 years; 21 underwent SG, and 25 were NS. Subjects underwent anthropometric measurements and completed self-report questionnaires. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to assess depressive symptoms and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-X2 for anxiety symptoms.

Results

Groups did not differ for age (18.4 ± 0.4 vs. 17.8 ± 0.5 years, p = 0.456). The SG group had a higher mean BMI vs. NS (47.5 (42.1, 52.4) vs. 41.6 (37.8, 46.5) kg/m²; p = 0.011). At 2-year follow-up, SG had greater reductions in weight and BMI vs. NS (p < 0.0001). Groups did not differ for changes in BDI-II and STAI scores (BDI-II: − 1.0 (− 6.0, 10.0) in SG vs. − 1.0 (− 6.0, 3.5) in NS, p = 0.37; STAI: 3.1 ± 3.2 in SG vs. − 1.1 ± 1.5 in NS, p = 0.24).

Conclusion

No change was found in depressive and anxiety symptomatology following surgery despite marked weight reduction over a 2-year period, underscoring the need to better evaluate psychopathology in youth undergoing SG to develop supportive therapeutic strategies.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier

NCT02557438 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02557438?id=NCT02557438&draw=2&rank=1; The study was registered on 23 September 2015.

Graphical Abstract