Abstract

DIAS, Inês et al. Study of the relationship between psychopatholocial symptoms and BMI in adults and older people. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2020, vol.21, n.1, pp.198-204. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/20psd210129.

The relationship between psychopathology and the Body Mass Index (BMI) refers to the fact that mental health is inseparable from the way we feel about our body, which is, among other things, closely related to our BMI. The main objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between psychopathological symptoms and the BMI of participants in “Early Adulthood”, “Adulthood” and “Old Age”. Method: This is a quantitative and cross-sectional study involving 628 participants, 401 women and 227 men, with a mean age of 39.14(SD = 20.78). The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was applied and the BMI was calculated. The results show that the participants in “Early Adulthood” has the highest averages in most BSI dimensions, and those in the “Obesity” category had the highest average results. In the “Adulthood” differences were found between the categories “Obesity” and “Normal Weight”, in “Somatization”, “Hostility” and “TSP”. In “Old Age”, differences in “Psychoticism” were observed between participants with “Normal Weight” and “Overweight”. Discussion: The results emphasize the importance of BMI in understanding psychopathology issues in both assessment and psychological intervention in adulthood and old age.

Keywords : Adulthood; Old Age; BMI; Psychopathological Symptoms; BSI.

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