A review of psychological assessment instruments for use in bariatric surgery evaluations.
Bariatric surgery is a viable treatment option for patients with extreme obesity and associated medical comorbidities; however, optimal surgical outcomes are not universal. Surgical societies, such as the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recommend that patients undergo a presurgical psychological evaluation that includes reviewing patients' medical charts, conducting a comprehensive clinical interview, and employing some form of objective psychometric testing. Despite numerous societies recommending the inclusion of self report assessments, only about 2/3 of clinics actively use psychological testing some of which have limited empirical support to justify their use. This review aims to critically evaluate the psychometric properties of self report measures when used in bariatric surgery settings and provide recommendations to help guide clinicians in selecting instruments to use in bariatric surgery evaluations. Recommended assessment batteries include use of a broadband instrument along with a narrowband eating measure. Suggestions for self report measures to include in a presurgical psychological evaluation in bariatric surgery settings are also provided. (PsycINFO Database Record
Psychological assessment