Reliability of the Cleveland Clinic Behavioral Rating System (CCBRS) Among Diverse Patients Seeking Bariatric Surgery

The CCBRS is a multidimensional assessment tool developed to aid in the psychosocial evaluation of patients seeking bariatric surgery. To date, three studies support the interrater reliability, internal consistency, and predictive validity of the CCBRS for a number of postoperative outcomes. However, research has predominantly been with White females. This study examines the reliability of the CCBRS with diverse individuals from three surgery clinics. The relative contribution of demographic and psychosocial variables to overall CCBRS ratings and differences in overall CCBRS ratings based on these factors are also explored.

Patients seeking bariatric surgery (n = 407; 86.2% female; 49.6% Black; mean BMI 48.3 kg/m², SD = 8.5) were evaluated with a standardized multimodal assessment. CCBRS domain and overall ratings were made based on the integration of assessment data. Patient weight, BMI, and weight loss surgery procedure were obtained from the initial bariatric surgery consult.

Internal consistency of the CCBRS was good (Cronbach’s alpha = .80) for this sample though lower than previously found. Most patients (75.6%) were cleared for surgery. Statistically significant differences in overall CCBRS ratings were found only based on employment status and referring clinic. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated a small effect for demographic and psychosocial factors, with only past alcohol abuse, current substance abuse, and referring clinic explaining statistically significant variance in overall CCBRS ratings.

Results support the reliability of the CCBRS; however, additional research is needed with diverse populations.