Personality type, eating behaviour and suicide risk in women in treatment for obesity.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the personality types of women in treatment for obesity and the associations among their personality characteristics, eating behaviour and suicide risk. SUBJECTS: Sixty women in pharmacological treatment for obesity (clinical group: CG) and 60 women post-bariatric gastric bypass surgery (surgical group: SG) were evaluated. METHODS: This was an observational and transversal study conducted in a specialized outpatient unit. Personality types were evaluated through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. A semi-structured questionnaire that investigated sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics was applied, along with the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). RESULTS: Among the 16 possible personality types, the ISFJ (Introversion, Sensing, Feeling, Judging) and ESFJ (Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, Judging) types were more frequent. In the SG, 32% of the participants presented with the ISFJ type, and 18.3% presented with the ESFJ type. In the CG, 33% presented with the ISFJ type and 25% presented with the ESFJ type. There was a higher prevalence of binge eating behaviour in the CG (Cohen's d: - 0.47; p < 0.0001) and a higher tendency to graze in the SG (p = 0.005). Participants with introverted attitudes showed a higher prevalence of severe binging (13.3% vs 3.3%, p = 0.07), suicidal thoughts throughout life (STTL) (69.5% vs 45.1%, p = 0.007), and recent suicidal thoughts (RSTs) (30.4% vs 11.7%, p = 0.01) in comparison to extraverted participants. BMI was associated with a higher chance of STTL (37.96 ± 6.41 kg/m2 with STTL vs 33.92 ± 4.68 kg/m2 without STTL; p = 0.01) in the CG compared to the SG. RSTs were associated with BMI in the SG (34.47 ± 3.86 kg/m2 with RSTs vs 30.61 ± 5.72 kg/m2 without RSTs; p = 0.01). In the multivariable analysis, personality type (ISFJ) was an independent predictor of STTL (OR: 3.6; CI 1.3-10.2; p = 0.01) and Suicidal Behaviour (SB) (OR: 9.7; CI 2.44-38.9; p = 0.001). Conversely, while BMI was an independent factor associated with binge eating, personality type was not. CONCLUSIONS: Women who were in pharmacological treatment for obesity or were post-bariatric surgery present specific types of personality. Introversion was associated with a higher BMI and a higher risk of suicidal thoughts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

O complexo cultural e o complexo do comer: um estudo com mulheres obesas / The cultural complex and the complex of eating: a study with obese women / El complejo cultural y el complejo de comer: un estudio con mujeres obesas

A obesidade é considerada um problema epidêmico, que acarreta graves prejuízos na saúde física e emocional dos indivíduos. Em busca de investigar os fenômenos psicológicos e culturais envolvidos na obesidade, propõe-se uma visão compreensiva-simbólica dos discursos de mulheres obesas pacientes de um Hospital Geral em Curitiba-Pr. O estudo baseou-se em constructos teóricos como: a Teoria dos Complexos para Jung, o Inconsciente Cultural para Henderson, o Complexo Cultural para Singer e Kimbles. A partir desses visa-se propor um novo constructo teórico: o Complexo do Comer, que é representado pelas experiências vinculadas ao tema alimentação, e relacioná-lo com o Complexo Cultural. Observa-se, a partir dos discursos, que ambos os Complexos expressam-se, paradoxalmente, a forma de incorporar ideias inconscientes de um corpo ideal, que repousam em uma imagem arquetípica da fome e da falta. Num contexto da saúde, esta falta marca a necessidade de um preencher que muitas vezes se faz excessivo e desnaturado, a qual deve ser considerada no tratamento multidisciplinar da obesidade, por meio de estratégias terapêuticas que contemplem essa realidade e a visão de totalidade psíquica.

Obesity is considered an epidemic problem, which causes serious damage to the physical and emotional health of individuals. In order to investigate the psychological and cultural phenomena involved in obesity, we propouse a comprehensive and symbolic view of the discourses of obese women, patients from a General Hospital in Curitiba-Pr. The study was based on theoretical constructs such as: Jung's Complex Theory, Henderson's Cultural Unconscious, Singer and Kimbles' Cultural Complex. From these theories, it is aimed to propose a new theoretical construct: the Eating Complex, which is represented by experiences related to the theme of food, and relate it to the Cultural Complex. It is observed from the discourses that both Complexes paradoxically express themselves in a way to incorporate unconscious ideas of an ideal body, that rests in an archetypal image of hunger and lack. In a context of health, this lack marks the need for a filling that is often excessive and denatured, which should be considered in the multidisciplinary treatment of obesity, through therapeutic strategies that contemplate this reality and the vision of psyche totality.

La obesidad es considerada un problema epidémico, que acarrea graves perjuicios en la salud física y emocional de los individuos. En busca de investigar los fenómenos psicológicos y culturales involucrados en la obesidad, se propone una visión comprensiva-simbólica de los discursos de mujeres obesas pacientes de un Hospital General en Curitiba-Pr. El estudio se basó en constructos teóricos como: la Teoría de los Complejos para Jung, el Inconsciente Cultural para Henderson, el Complejo Cultural para Singer y Kimbles. A partir de estos se pretende proponer un nuevo constructo teórico: el Complejo del Comer, que es representado por las experiencias vinculadas al tema alimentación, y relacionarlo con el Complejo Cultural. Se observa, a partir de los discursos, que ambos Complejos se expresan paradójicamente la forma de incorporar ideas inconscientes de un cuerpo ideal, que reposan en una imagen arquetípica del hambre y de la falta. En un contexto de la salud, esta falta marca la necesidad de un relleno que muchas veces se hace excesivo y desnaturalizado, la cual debe ser considerada en el tratamiento multidisciplinario de la obesidad, a través de estrategias terapéuticas que contemplen esa realidad y la visión de totalidad psíquica.