What we know and where to go: a scoping review of the psychosocial literature in youth undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2-2-2026

Journal

Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery

DOI

10.1016/j.soard.2026.01.012

Keywords

Metabolic and bariatric surgery; Psychosocial; Youth

Abstract

There is a paucity of research summarizing the impact of psychosocial factors on youth metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) outcomes and the impact of MBS on youth psychosocial health. This scoping review provides a comprehensive characterization of the state of the literature regarding psychosocial care for youth undergoing MBS to identify implications for practice and define knowledge gaps to inform future research. A search of articles published between 2010 and March 2025 was conducted focusing on study objectives from all peer-reviewed evidence sources except for review articles, commentaries, protocol papers, meta-analyses, editorials, and guidelines. One hundred forty-three articles were included for review. Frequency counts were utilized to provide narrative description of study findings which were also mapped in tabular form to demonstrate the state of the literature. Youth seeking MBS have high rates of psychosocial complexity which maintain or improve (at least in the short term) following MBS, with a subset experiencing symptom worsening, highlighting the importance of monitoring and support postoperatively. More research is needed in larger and diverse (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, gender, and neurodivergent) populations as well as in the areas of family relationships and social determinants of health to ensure that assessment, treatment, and informed consent processes allow families to make the most informed decisions for care.

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

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