Telephone-based cognitive behavioural therapy for female patients 1-year post-bariatric surgery: A pilot study

Objective: Although bariatric surgery is a durable treatment for patients with severe obesity, it does not directly address behavioural and psychological factors that potentially contribute to weight regain post-surgery. Psychological interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), can be challenging to access due to physical limitations and practical barriers. Telephone-based CBT (Tele-CBT) can improve eating psychopathology and psychological distress before and after surgery. Given the frequent occurrence/recurrence of problematic eating-related and psychological issues many patients face 1-year post-surgery, this open-trial pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Tele-CBT delivered 1-year post-surgery as an adjunctive treatment to the usual standard of bariatric care. Methods: Patients (n=43) received six 1-h Tele-CBT sessions delivered weekly beginning at 1-year post-surgery. Patients completed questionnaire packages before and after the intervention to assess changes in binge eating (BES), emotional eating (EES), depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Results: Thirty-two patients completed Tele-CBT yielding a 74.4% completion rate. Participants reported significant improvements on the Binge Eating Scale (t(31) = 3.794, p= 0.001), Emotional Eating Scale (t(31)= 3.508, p= 0.001), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item Scale (z = -2.371, p= 0.018), and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 Item Scale (z = -3.546, p< 0.001) immediately following Tele-CBT. Discussion: The results demonstrate that Tele-CBT delivered 1-year post-surgery may improve binge eating, emotional eating, depression, and anxiety. Additional research is warranted to examine whether these changes translate into long-term improvements in bariatric surgery outcomes. (C) 2019 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.