EVALUATION OF GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, SUBJECTIVE SLEEP QUALITY, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH OBESITY

Objective: Recently, the increasing rate of obesity has been elucidated as a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to examine the psychological distress, subjective sleep quality, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a group of patients diagnosed with obesity. Methods: A total of 124 obese patients (32 of them Class I obesity (BMI: 30-34.9 kg/m(2)), 92 Class II obesity (BMI: >= 35kg/m(2))) and 106 healthy control subjects were involved in the study. Subjects were evaluated with self-administered questionnaires including the Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Short Form 36 (SF-36). Several clinical and socio-demographic data were also recorded. Results: Class 11 obesity group had a significantly worse psychological status, quality of life, and sleep quality than control group. Although Class I obesity group did not differ from Class 11 and control groups according to sleep quality and psychological status, they had worse HRQOL than the control group. BMI scores positively correlated with the majority of subscales of psychological distress (SCL-90-R) and sleep quality (PSQI, ESS) and negatively correlated with all dimensions of HRQOL (SF-36). Conclusions: Obesity is associated with psychological distress, poor sleep quality, and reduced quality of life. Thus, obesity should be evaluated in a biopsychosocial manner, including management of patients' psychopathology. (Int'l. J. Psychiatry in Medicine 2009;39:297-312)