“Complex trauma”: reflections on the effect of early childhood abuse among a small adult group of bariatric patients

Abstract

The experience of early traumatic exposure, obesity and finally the paradoxical forced behavioural intervention experienced by a small group of five different participants (three women and two men) who underwent bariatric surgery¹ to “cure” a chronic disease such as obesity, were explored and structured around the prominent themes identified by the researchers from the “voices” of the participants. The aim was to arrive at a final “voice” that would reflect collectively on their stories. The research question was based on the interrelationship between prolonged traumatic exposures, morbid obesity and whether bariatric surgery acts as a form of remedial intervention for this small group of participants suffering from morbid obesity. A qualitative research paradigm and social constructivist epistemology were supported by the exploratory case study design as a systematic way of collecting data, analysing information through a process of thematic content analysis and finally reporting the results. The delineation of the themes resulted in the following collective sub-themes: Obesity was the result of psychological defences against the impact of prolonged childhood trauma; the symptom constellation of Complex Trauma seems paramount among the participants of this study; and the remedial effect of bariatric surgery on these patients seems complementary to the relief of the impact of early childhood traumatisation. Incidental findings includes: amnesia regarding “good” periods during childhood; obesity creates an “invisible” perception by others of the obese person; to lose weight causes more back pain due to less bodily support by those who had suffered from back pains prior to surgery; while the occurrence of stomach pains after “stressful periods” could be viewed as an unexpected finding from this research group. The research question is based on the interrelationship between prolonged traumatic exposures, morbid obesity and whether the remedial forced behavioural intervention such as bariatric surgery acts as a form of remedial intervention for this small group of participants suffering from morbid obesity.