Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Predictors of Alcohol Use after Bariatric Surgery

  • Published:
Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Patients undergoing bariatric surgery are at risk for devloping an alcohol use disorder (AUD). The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-surgical psychosocial risk factors for post-surgical alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking. Participants (N = 567) who underwent bariatric surgery between 2014 and 2017 reported their post-surgical alcohol use. Information was collected from the pre-surgical evaluation including history of alcohol use, psychiatric symptoms, and maladaptive eating behaviors (i.e., binge eating, purging, and emotional eating). Younger age and pre-surgical alcohol use predicted post-surgical alcohol use and hazardous drinking. In addition, higher levels of depressive symptoms and maladaptive eating patterns predicted post-surgical binge drinking. Clinicians conducting pre-surgical psychosocial evaluations should be aware of the multiple risk factors related to post-surgical problematic alcohol use. Future research should evaluate whether preventive interventions for high-risk patients decrease risk for post-surgical alcohol misuse.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acevedo, M. B., Eagon, J. C., Bartholow, B. D., Klein, S., Bucholz, K. K., & Pepino, M. Y. (2018). Sleeve gastrectomy surgery: When 2 alcoholic drinks are converted to 4. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 14, 277–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ambwani, S., Boeka, A. G., Brown, J. D., Byrne, T. K., Budak, A. R., Sarwer, D. B., ... & O’Neil, P. M. (2013). Socially desirable responding by bariatric surgery candidates during psychological assessment. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 9, 300–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Pub.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Arnow, B., Kenardy, J., & Agras, W. S. (1995). The Emotional Eating Scale: The development of a measure to assess coping with negative affect by eating. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 79–90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bjelland, I., Dahl, A. A., Haug, T. T., & Neckelmann, D. (2002). The validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: An updated literature review. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 52, 69–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackburn, A. N., Hajnal, A., & Leggio, L. (2017). The gut in the brain: The effects of bariatric surgery on alcohol consumption. Addiction Biology, 22, 1540–1553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buffington, C. K. (2007). Alcohol use and health risks: Survey results. Bariatric Times, 4, 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgmer, R., Petersen, I., Burgmer, M., de Zwaan, M., Wolf, A. M., & Herpertz, S. (2007). Psychological outcome two years after restrictive bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 17, 785–791.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bush, K., Kivlahan, D. R., McDonell, M. B., Fihn, S. D., & Bradley, K. A. (1998). The AUDIT alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C): An effective brief screening test for problem drinking. Archives of Internal Medicine, 158, 1789–1795.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, S. F., Villapiano, A., & Malinow, A. (2009). The effect of computer-mediated administration on self-disclosure of problems on the Addiction Severity Index. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 3, 194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, J. M., Alkhuraishi, A., Solga, S., Alli, P., Diehl, A., & Magnuson, T. (2005). Roux-en-Y gastric bypass improves liver histology in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Obesity Research, 13, 1180–1186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conason, A., Teixeira, J., Hsu, C.-H., Puma, L., Knafo, D., & Geliebter, A. (2013). Substance use following bariatric weight loss surgery. JAMA Surgery, 148, 145–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuellar-Barboza, A. B., Frye, M. A., Grothe, K., Prieto, M. L., Schneekloth, T. D., Loukianova, L. L., ... & Abulseoud, O. A. (2015). Change in consumption patterns for treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder post-bariatric surgery. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 78, 199–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DuBreuil, L., & Sogg, S. (2017). Alcohol-use disorders after bariatric surgery: The case for targeted group therapy: Treatment can target the unique causes and stresses that may raise the risk of alcohol-related substance abuse after surgery. Current Psychiatry, 16, 38–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gloy, V. L., Briel, M., Bhatt, D. L., Kashyap, S. R., Schauer, P. R., Mingrone, G., ... & Nordmann, A. J. (2013). Bariatric surgery versus non-surgical treatment for obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 347, f5934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagedorn, J. C., Encarnacion, B., Brat, G. A., & Morton, J. M. (2007). Does gastric bypass alter alcohol metabolism? Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 3, 543–548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soard.2007.07.003 (discussion 548).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ivezaj, V., Saules, K. K., & Schuh, L. M. (2014). New-onset substance use disorder after gastric bypass surgery: Rates and associated characteristics. Obesity Surgery, 24, 1975–1980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ivezaj, V., Benoit, S. C., Davis, J., Engel, S., Lloret-Linares, C., Mitchell, J. E., ... & Sogg, S. (2019). Changes in alcohol use after metabolic and bariatric surgery: Predictors and mechanisms. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21, 85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1070-8

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kalarchian, M. A., Marcus, M. D., Levine, M. D., Courcoulas, A. P., Pilkonis, P. A., Ringham, R. M., ... & Rofey, D. L. (2007). Psychiatric disorders among bariatric surgery candidates: Relationship to obesity and functional health status. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 328–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, W. C., Chen, J.-Y., Mitchell, J. E., Kalarchian, M. A., Steffen, K. J., Engel, S. G., ... & Yanovski, S. Z. (2012). Prevalence of alcohol use disorders before and after bariatric surgery. JAMA, 307, 2516–2525.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • King, W. C., Chen, J.-Y., Courcoulas, A. P., Dakin, G. F., Engel, S. G., Flum, D. R., ... & Mitchell, J. E. (2017). Alcohol and other substance use after bariatric surgery: Prospective evidence from a US multicenter cohort study. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 13, 1392–1402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lent, M. R., Hayes, S. M., Wood, G. C., Napolitano, M. A., Argyropoulos, G., Gerhard, G. S., ... & Still, C. D. (2013). Smoking and alcohol use in gastric bypass patients. Eating Behaviors, 14, 460–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maciejewski, M. L., Arterburn, D. E., Van Scoyoc, L., Smith, V. A., Yancy, W. S., Weidenbacher, H. J., ... & Olsen, M. K. (2016). Bariatric surgery and long-term durability of weight loss. JAMA Surgery, 151, 1046–1055.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller-Matero, L. R., Armstrong, R., McCulloch, K., Hyde-Nolan, M., Eshelman, A., & Genaw, J. (2014). To eat or not to eat; is that really the question? An evaluation of problematic eating behaviors and mental health among bariatric surgery candidates. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 19, 377–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller-Matero, L. R., Bryce, K., Saulino, C. K., Dykhuis, K. E., Genaw, J., & Carlin, A. M. (2018). Problematic eating behaviors predict outcomes after bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 28, 1910–1915.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller-Matero, L. R., Coleman, J. P., LaLonde, L., Martens, K. M., Hamann, A., & Carlin, A. M. (2019). Patient recall of receiving education about the risks of alcohol use following bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 29, 2707–2710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niego, S. H., Kofman, M. D., Weiss, J. J., & Geliebter, A. (2007). Binge eating in the bariatric surgery population: A review of the literature. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40, 349–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reaves, D. L., Dickson, J. M., Halford, J. C. G., Christiansen, P., & Hardman, C. A. (2019). A qualitative analysis of problematic and non-problematic alcohol use after bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 29, 2200–2209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosik, C. H. (2005). Psychiatric symptoms among prospective bariatric surgery patients: Rates of prevalence and their relation to social desirability, pursuit of surgery, and follow-up attendance. Obesity Surgery, 15, 677–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarwer, D. B., & Heinberg, L. J. (2020). A review of the psychosocial aspects of clinically severe obesity and bariatric surgery. American Psychologist, 75, 252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarwer, D. B., Cohn, N. I., Gibbons, L. M., Magee, L., Crerand, C. E., Raper, S. E., ... & Wadden, T. A. (2004). Psychiatric diagnoses and psychiatric treatment among bariatric surgery candidates. Obesity Surgery, 14, 1148–1156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scholtz, S., Goldstone, A. P., & le Roux, C. W. (2015). Changes in reward after gastric bypass: The advantages and disadvantages. Current Atherosclerosis Reports, 17, 61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sogg, S., Lauretti, J., & West-Smith, L. (2016). Recommendations for the presurgical psychosocial evaluation of bariatric surgery patients. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 12, 731–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spadola, C. E., Wagner, E. F., Dillon, F. R., Trepka, M. J., De La Cruz-Munoz, N., & Messiah, S. E. (2015). Alcohol and drug use among postoperative bariatric patients: A systematic review of the emerging research and its implications. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 39, 1582–1601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, K. J., Engel, S. G., Pollert, G. A., Cao, L., & Mitchell, J. E. (2013). Blood alcohol concentrations rise rapidly and dramatically following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases : Official Journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, 9, 470–473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soard.2013.02.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, K. J., Engel, S. G., Wonderlich, J. A., Pollert, G. A., & Sondag, C. (2015). Alcohol and other addictive disorders following bariatric surgery: Prevalence, risk factors and possible etiologies. European Eating Disorders Review, 23, 442–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 7, 877.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki, J., Haimovici, F., & Chang, G. (2012). Alcohol use disorders after bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 22, 201–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wee, C. C., Mukamal, K. J., Huskey, K. W., Davis, R. B., Colten, M. E., Bolcic-Jankovic, D., ... & Blackburn, G. L. (2014). High-risk alcohol use after weight loss surgery. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, 10, 508–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodard, G. A., Downey, J., Hernandez-Boussard, T., & Morton, J. M. (2011). Impaired alcohol metabolism after gastric bypass surgery: A case-crossover trial. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 212, 209–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2010.09.020

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zigmond, A. S., & Snaith, R. P. (1983). The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 67, 361–370.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Health, Henry Ford Health System, 1 Ford Place, 3A, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Lisa R. Miller-Matero, Aaron Hamann, Leah LaLonde, Kellie M. Martens, Shannon Clark-Sienkiewicz, Monika Sata, Joseph P. Coleman, Leah M. Hecht & Jordan M. Braciszewski

  2. Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA

    Lisa R. Miller-Matero, Joseph P. Coleman, Leah M. Hecht & Jordan M. Braciszewski

  3. Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA

    Aaron Hamann, Kellie M. Martens & Arthur M. Carlin

  4. Wayne State University School of Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA

    John Son & Arthur M. Carlin

Authors
  1. Lisa R. Miller-Matero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aaron Hamann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Leah LaLonde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kellie M. Martens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. John Son
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Shannon Clark-Sienkiewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Monika Sata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Joseph P. Coleman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Leah M. Hecht
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jordan M. Braciszewski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Arthur M. Carlin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa R. Miller-Matero.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the health system’s Institutional Review Board (#12104).

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Human and Animal Rights

All research procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation. This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Henry Ford Health System. The study procedures were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 and 2008.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Miller-Matero, L.R., Hamann, A., LaLonde, L. et al. Predictors of Alcohol Use after Bariatric Surgery. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 28, 596–602 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-020-09751-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-020-09751-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation