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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04364841

Body Image and Sexuality After Bariatric Surgery

Sexual desire may decrease among obese individuals who feel worthless and therefore there may be behaviors that avoid sexuality. Sexuality, one of the activities of daily life, is an issue that is affected by cultural norms and rules and individuals have difficulties expressing their sexual problems comfortably. In a systematic review which is about the effect of bariatric surgery on sexuality; it was emphasized that bariatric surgery, the most widely used treatment in obesity, has positive effects upon reproductive hormones and sexual functions thanks to weight loss. In light of these information above-mentioned; the study was done to examine the correlation between body perception and sexual life before and after bariatric surgery among obese individuals.

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Key information

Conditions

Obesity, Morbid Behavior Body Weight Genital Diseases Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sexual Behavior Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological Sexuality Signs and Symptoms Urogenital Diseases

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Mersin University Faculty of Nursing

Mersin, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Obese individuals who want to learn healthy life behaviors and wish to acquire and to realize behavioral changes that will help them cope with health problems are in need of training and counseling. In this process, nurses -being in close and continuous contact with individuals- play counselor role as a part of their educator roles. It is stated that nurses need to understand, empathize with and support individuals who suffer from different problems while they play this role. In presence of obesity, which is a psychophysiological condition; nurses should also consider the fact that obese individuals who face bitter criticisms and social exclusion may show low self-esteem and impaired body image due to excessive weight and therefore they should give these individuals opportunities to express their feelings as to how they perceive themselves. The studies in literature that investigated the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and self-esteem and body perception report that obese individuals demonstrate relatively lower self-esteem and body perception as compared to the normal individuals. Psychological and hormonal disorders, impaired body image and chronic diseases that develop with obesity influence sexual life negatively, too. Therefore; sexual desire may decrease among obese individuals who feel worthless and therefore there may be behaviors that avoid sexuality. Sexuality, one of the activities of daily life, is an issue that is affected by cultural norms and rules and individuals have difficulties expressing their sexual problems comfortably.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Accepted to join the study,
  • Did not have such psychiatric disorders as anxiety, depression and personality disorders
  • Were aged between 18 and 65.

Exclusion criteria

  • Do not accepting to join the study,
  • Have such psychiatric disorders as anxiety, depression and personality disorders
  • Older from 65, under the age of 18.

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Obese individuals' Descriptive Characteristics and Findings Related to the Disease as assessed by "Information Request Form".

    Time frame: 1 day

    At the first stage of the research, by the obese individuals "Information Request Form" is filled in to specify socio-demographic characteristics.

  2. Obese individuals' Body Perception as assessed by "Body Perception Scale" at the pre-operation period

    Time frame: 1 day

    "Body Perception Scale" filled in to determine how satisfied they were the various parts of their bodies and various body functions at the pre-operation period by the obese individuals.

    The scale includes 40 items and each item refers to an organ or a limb (arm, leg, face, etc.) or a function (sexual activity level). Each item score ranges from 1 to 5 by marking "I do not like at all", "I do not like", "I am uncertain", "I like", "I like a lot". Total score ranges from 40 to 200. High scores indicate high level of satisfaction. Cutoff score of the scale was 135 and scores lower than 135 (≥135) indicate lower body perception.

  3. Obese individuals' sexual functions respective of sexual orientation as assessed by "Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale " at the pre-operation period

    Time frame: 1 day

    The "Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale" was filled in to measure sexual functions related to sexual orientation and the relationship with partners at the pre-operation period by the obese individuals.

    Scores for each question range from 1 to 6 and total score ranges from 5 to 30. Lower scores indicate strong, easy and satisfactory sexual response while higher scores indicate presence of sexual dysfunctions. According to Soykan, a score ≥11 is a cutoff score for sexual dysfunction.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Obese individuals' Body Perception as assessed by "Body Perception Scale" at the post-operation period

    Time frame: 1 day

    "Body Perception Scale" filled in to determine how satisfied they were the various parts of their bodies and various body functions at the post-operation period by the obese individuals.

    The scale includes 40 items and each item refers to an organ or a limb (arm, leg, face, etc.) or a function (sexual activity level). Each item score ranges from 1 to 5 by marking "I do not like at all", "I do not like", "I am uncertain", "I like", "I like a lot". Total score ranges from 40 to 200. High scores indicate high level of satisfaction. Cutoff score of the scale was 135 and scores lower than 135 (≥135) indicate lower body perception.

  2. Obese individuals' sexual functions respective of sexual orientation as assessed by "Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale " at the post-operation period

    Time frame: 1 day

    The "Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale" was filled in to measure sexual functions related to sexual orientation and the relationship with partners at the post-operation period by the obese individuals.

    Scores for each question range from 1 to 6 and total score ranges from 5 to 30. Lower scores indicate strong, easy and satisfactory sexual response while higher scores indicate presence of sexual dysfunctions. According to Soykan, a score ≥11 is a cutoff score for sexual dysfunction.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Mersin University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Body Image Level and Sexual Life of Individuals

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2018
First posted
Apr 28, 2020
Registry last updated
Apr 30, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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