Мать и дитя в Кузбассе (Mar 2019)
PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH EXCESSIVE ADIPOPEXIS
Abstract
Lack of motivation and denial of a long-term therapy necessity can be explained by individual psychological characteristics. Aim – evaluate psychological characteristics of children and adolescents with excessive adipopexis. Materials and methods. A one-time research based on the Leonhard’s characterological questionnaire included a poll of 148 children aged 10-17 (average age 14,5 ± 1,3) with BMI ≥ 85-97 percentile and 130 children with BMI < 85th percentile (comparison group), comparable by age and sex. Results. Patients with BMI ≥ 85-97 percentile represented 12 character accentuations, including 10 «pure», one mixed and one non-accented. The most prevalent were affective exalted (29,7 % of cases) and hyperthymic (23,6 %), that was 8 (р = 0,000) and 3 (р = 0,0003) times more often than among adolescents with BMI < 85 percentile (3,8 % and 7,7 %, respectively). Children with normal BMI revealed more stable accentuation types. Characteristics reflecting unstable and depressed mood, anxious and hypochondriac features were detected at 25 % patients with BMI ≥ 85-97 percentile (against 22 % in the comparison group, р = 0,67 and 68 % – in earlier researches, р = 0,000). A direct correlation of these characteristics with increasing gravity of obesity was revealed. Conclusions. 53 % of obese children and adolescents showed character accentuations reflecting unstable, affective, «inadequately positive» emotional status, related probably with their increased endorphin level. It demonstrates a significant role of psychosomatic conception in obesity progressing and difficulties of its therapy (weak compliance).
