Psychological factors of adaptation disorders and eating behavioral reactions in young overweight women with reproductive disorders

Metabolic disorders forming the clinical state of obesity have a multifaceted nature with a complex pathogenesis of comorbid disorders. Particular attention should be paid to the study of the causes and mechanisms of the psychological status of young overweight women with impaired reproductive function. The objective: of this study was to conduct a clinical-psychological and experimental-psychological study of the role of psychosocial factors and eating behaviour in young overweight and obese women. Materials and methods.Two main groups of patients were examined: 50 overweight patients (BMI = 25.00–29.99 kg/m2) and 40 patients with obesity of the first degree (BMI = 30.00–34.99 kg/m2), the control group consisted of 30 women with normal body weight (BMI = 18.5–24.9 kg/m2). Experimentally, the psychological methodological program is represented by a set of methods: assessment of eating behaviour according to the Dutch Eating behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Stunkard Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18).Results. One third of patients in both main groups had features related to lifestyle changes or specific life episodes and conditions: childbirth (37.8%), stressful life situation (26.7%), smoking cessation (43.3%). The main complaints of patients in both groups were mood lability, anxiety (28.0%), irritability, increased fatigue, poor sleep quality, low mood, emotionality, tearfulness (38.0%). In obese patients, along with anxiety (47.5 %) and unstable mood (40.0%), manifestations of depression (15.0%) and aggression (5.0%) were noted, with increased emotional discomfort accompanied by high appetite and changes in the intensity of food cravings.In patients of the first group, the restrictive type of eating behaviour was diagnosed in almost two-thirds of the observations (74.0%), the emotionogenic type – in 68.0%, and the external type was noticed in 12.0% of the observations. In the second group, half of the patients showed high scores on the scales of the restrictive type (52.5%), emotionogenic type (32.5%), and external type (15.0%). Conclusions. The manifestations of emotionogenic and restrictive types of eating behaviour with high scores even at the initial stage in overweight patients can initiate metabolic disorders and lead to the development and progression of obesity.Keywords: obesity, overweight, psychoemotional manifestations, psychosocial risk factors, eating behaviou