The Impact of a History of Sexual Abuse on Weight Loss in Gastric Bypass Patients

A history of sexual abuse has been associated with failure at weight loss. The authors sought to determine whether a history of sexual abuse influences success after gastric bypass surgery. Presurgical self-report questionnaires collected information, including sexual abuse history and previous psychiatric hospitalization, and 27% reported a history of sexual abuse. A history of sexual abuse correlated with (nonsignificantly) less loss of excess weight at 12 and 24 months after surgery. No significant difference in excess-weight loss was detected among those with history of sexual abuse. Therefore, such abuse histories should not preclude surgery for these patients.