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The Roles of Depression and Binge Eating in the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Obesity

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Abstract

Objective

Research has demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were related to elevated lifetime risk of developing obesity, but the underlying mechanisms between ACEs and development of obesity are yet to be fully elucidated. The current study aims to extend exiting evidence on underlying mechanisms between ACEs and development of obesity by examining whether depressive symptom and binge eating symptom have independently significant mediating effects on the association.

Methods

The study used data from a total of 473 patients seeking bariatric surgery who completed psychological evaluation including ACEs, depressive symptom, and binge eating scale as a part of presurgical multidisciplinary weight management consultations. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS to examine the research objective.

Results

The study found that depressive symptom uniquely mediated the relationship between ACEs and obesity, but binge eating symptom did not significantly mediate the relationship independently of depression.

Conclusions

The unique role of depression in relation to childhood trauma in this study argues for more focus on a mental health intervention with bariatric patients during the preoperative period. Addressing ACEs for bariatric patients who present psychiatric symptoms during preoperative process could have potential benefits to patient care.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, West Virginia University, PO Box 6830, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Jiyoung K. Tabone

  2. Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Stephanie Cox & Laura Aylward

  3. Department of Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Salim Abunnaja, Nova Szoka & Lawrence E. Tabone

Authors
  1. Jiyoung K. Tabone
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  2. Stephanie Cox
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  4. Salim Abunnaja
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  5. Nova Szoka
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  6. Lawrence E. Tabone
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Correspondence to Jiyoung K. Tabone.

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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.

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Key Points

The relationship between ACEs and adult obesity has been well documented, but little is known on the underlying mechanisms between them.

Depression uniquely mediated the relationship between ACEs and obesity, but not binge eating.

Providing additional intervention to bariatric patients who were identified to have psychiatric symptoms related to childhood trauma may help to achieve better health improvement.

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Tabone, J.K., Cox, S., Aylward, L. et al. The Roles of Depression and Binge Eating in the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Obesity. OBES SURG 32, 3034–3040 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-06192-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-06192-9

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