DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_395_25 ISSN: 2277-9531

Levels of stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy after bariatric surgery: A comparative study with women with obesity

Maryam Navaee, Maryam Kashanian, Mehrdad Vossoughi, Arash Mohazzab, Fatemeh Salmani, Negar Zamaninour, Ali Kabir
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BACKGROUND:

Obesity can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression (DAS). Bariatric surgery is often used to treat severe obesity, but it may also increase anxiety and depression. It’s unclear if pregnant women with bariatric surgery experience more depression and anxiety than pregnant women with obesity and without surgery history. This study intends to compare the levels of DAS during pregnancy for women with bariatric surgery and those who have obesity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This study measured DAS using the DASS-21questionnaire (Depression, Stress, and Anxiety Scale) in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy in 76 women who experience bariatric surgery and 73 women with obesity between May 2022 and January 2024. Data analysis was conducted using independent and paired t -tests, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and multiple linear regression with SPSS-22 software.

RESULTS:

No significant differences were observed in the average scores of DAS among the two groups ( P > 0.05). However, there were significant associations among maternal occupation (inversely related) and anxiety ( P = 0.014), as well as unwanted pregnancy (directly related) and depression ( P = 0.030) during the first trimester. Additionally, in the third trimester, there were significant associations among monthly family income (directly related) and hospitalization (inversely related) with the two variables of stress and anxiety ( P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

Pregnancy following bariatric surgery does not necessarily accompany an increase in DAS level compared to women without a surgical history. However, occupation, unplanned pregnancy, income level, and hospitalization could be influential factors in DAS.

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