A Study of Neurotic Depression Associated with Obesity

 

Sheikh Shahid

 

Chauksey Engineering College, Bilaspur Chhattisgarh

 

ABSTRACT:

The present study has been carried out to see the effect of obesity on neurotic depression among obese adolescent boys. For present study, 200 obese adolescent boys (Av. age 13.25 yrs.) and 200 normal weight adolescent boys (Av. age 14.12 yrs.) from various govt. and private schools of Chhattisgarh were selected to serve as sample for the present study. The criteria for selection of subjects was based on WHO (1995) classification of body mass index (BMI) which BMI between 18.0-24.99 is considered to be normal weight while BMI >30 is considered to be obese. To assess neurotic depression, Jodhpur Multiphasic Personality Inventory prepared by Joshi and Malik (1981) was preferred. This inventory consist of 283 items and its psychoneurotic scale consist of 12 items i.e. anxiety, phobia, obsessive-compulsive reaction, conversion reaction, hysteria dissociate, neurotic depression, neurosthenia, social intraversion and awareness scale. Scores on neurotic depression was taken into account for the present study. Results reveal that obese adolescent have low stress tolerance, rigid conscience development and more magnitude of proneness to guilty feeling as compared to normal weight adolescent boys (t=12.19, p<.01). Therefore it may be concluded that obesity is the major cause of neurotic depression in adolescent boys.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Adolescent has been defined by WHO (2000) as the period of life spanning between 10-19 years and the youth as between 15-24 years. They are no longer children, but not yet adults.  Childhood and adolescence are complex stages with profound changes due to growth and maturation. The behavioural and physiological pattern obtained throughout this stage can be crucial to a healthier future and greater quality of life but in the modern world overall development of these future citizens of nation may be hampered due to problem of obesity

 

Obesity is now-a-days a global problem and even developing countries are now affected by this epidemic. Indian adolescents are also facing the problem of excess fat in their body. Chhatwal, J. et al (2004) in their study also reported that 12.4% adolescent boys in Indian suffer from obesity and overweight.

 

Neurotic depression is a form of depression in which the moods of affected persons depend upon the surrounding environment, such as the time of day - for example, people with this condition may feel extremely depressed during evenings. However, the overall severity of depression is not extreme, and the afflicted persons generally suffer from mild to moderate depression.

 

Persons suffering from neurotic depression are often convinced that they are going through severe pain, fear the worst possible outcome, and all of this makes them very depressed, edgy, and anxious. While the intensity or severity of depression is not very high, people do go through terrible lows at times.

 

While scanning the related research literature, the researcher found that several investigators namely, Sheslow (1993), French (1996), Pearce et al (2002), Whiteley, P. et al (2004), Dragan, A. and Danesh Noori-Akhtar (2007) conducted research on obesity and its associated psychological problems but none of them had analysed the consequences of obesity in the light of neurotic depression which is a milder form of depression in psychological terms. All the research work pertaining to obesity and personality disorder are mainly conducted in developed countries but neurotic depression was not investigated in the light of obesity and in Indian cultural settings

 

Hence, the present study was planned to compare neurotic depression among normal and obese adolescent boys.

 

HYPOTHESIS:

It was hypothesized that magnitude of neurotic depression will differ significantly between obese and normal boys.

 

Methodology:

The following methodological steps were taken in order to conducted the present study.

 

Sample :-

For present study, 200 obese adolescent boys and 200 normal weight adolescent boys from various govt. and private schools of Chhattisgarh were selected to serve as sample for the present study. The criteria for selection of subjects was based on WHO (1995) classification of body mass index (BMI) which BMI between 18.0-24.99 is considered to be normal weight while BMI >30 is considered to be obese. To select the desired number of subjects for the present study, in all 1200 school children between age range 11-15 years was screened and from this population 200 obese and 200 normal weight adolescent subjects were selected.

 

Tools:

Following tools were used to fulfil the objectives of the study -

(a) Body Mass Index:

In order to classify subjects into normal and obese categories, WHO’s classification for Body Mass Index was preferred in the present study.

 

The international classifications of overweight and obesity proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2000, p. 8-9) and by the Expert Panel on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults (1998) are based on an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in different populations.

 

According to the WHO, a BMI <18.5 kg/m² is defined as underweight, 18.5-24.9 kg/m² as normal weight, 25.0-29.9 kg/m² as overweight, and >30.0 kg/m² as obesity. Obesity can be further stratified into moderate obesity (BMI 30-34.9 kg/m²), severe obesity (35-39.9 kg/m²), and very severe obesity (<40 kg/m²). BMI was calculated by the formula wt (kg) / Ht (m)²

 

(b) Jodhpur Multiphasic Personality Inventory:

To assess neurotic depression, one of the dimensions of personality disorder, Jodhpur Multiphasic Personality Inventory prepared by Joshi and Malik (1981) was preferred. This inventory consist of 283 items and its psychoneurotic scale consist of 12 items i.e. anxiety, phobia, obsessive-compulsive reaction, conversion reaction, hysteria dissociate, neurotic depression, neurasthenia, social introversion and awareness scale. The coefficients of stability for the three validity and AS scales are found to vary between 0.73 to 0.80 when the retesting interval is of two weeks. All the coefficients of stability are of sufficiently high level. The coefficient of homogeneity are found to vary from 0.75 to 0.86 for psychoneurotic scales except for D and SI where they are 0.58 and 0.53 respectively. The various scales have demonstrated to be sufficiently homogenous in composition.

 

Procedure:

First of all height and weight of the selected samples were recorded as per the method described under the caption tools. Body mass index was calculated by using the formula given by WHO (1997). Afterwards subjects were classified into two categories i.e. normal weight and obese.

 

Jodhpur Multiphasic Personality Inventory prepared by Joshi and Malik (1981) was administered to all 400 selected subjects as per their convenience, availability and with prior permission from the head of the concerned institution. After scoring of the responses according to author’s manual, obtained data related with neurotic depression was tabulated according to their respective groups.

 

‘t’ test was used to compare the data between two study groups. The results are presented in table 1.

 

 

RESULT AND DISCUSSION:

Table No. 1 Comparison of neurotic depression among obese and normal weight adolescent boys

** Significant at .01 level

 

From the analysis of table 1, it can be stated that obese adolescent have more magnitude of neurotic depression (M=53.39), as compared to normal adolescent boys (M=35.36). The reported t=12.19, which is statistically significant at .01 level, reveal that low stress tolerance, rigid conscience development and proneness to guilty feeling i.e. neurotic depression, is strongly associated with obesity. The result of the present study is consistent with the findings of Sarah M. Markowitz, M.S. (2008), who found a strong correlation between obesity and neurotic depression.

 

CONCLUSION:

On the basis of results, it may be concluded that obese adolescent boys are more vulnerable to experience neurotic depression as compared to normal adolescent boys.

 

REFERENCES:

1.       Dragan, A. and Danesh Akhtar (2007) : Relation between body mass index and depression: a structural equation modeling approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 7:17.

2.       French S, Story M, and Perry C. (1999). Mental Health Disorders. Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Report. 4(1). 10-12.

3.       Pearce Michelle J., Boergers Julie, Prinstein Mitchell J. (2002) : Adolescent obesity, overt and relational peer victimization, and romantic relationships. Obesity research; 10(5): 386-93.

4.       Sheslow D, Hassink S, Wallace W, and Delancey E. (1993). The relationship between self-esteem and depression in obese children. (Abstract). Annual New York Academy of Science. Oct. 29 L699), 289-291.

5.       Whiteley, P, Kalliopi, D., Lynda Todd and Shattock, P. (2004) :Body mass index of children from the United Kingdom diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders. Pediatrics International 46 (5), 531–533.

6.       World Health Organization (2000). Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic: Report of a WHO consultation. Geneva, Switzerland.

 

 

Received on 20.08.2017       Modified on 22.10.2017

Accepted on 10.11.2017      © A&V Publication all right reserved