Psychopathology in mothers of a pediatric sample of children and adolescents affected by obesity or excess weight

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the presence of psychopathological symptoms in a sample of mothers whose children and adolescents were treated because of obesity or overweight in the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit at Children's Hospital "Virgen del Rocío" of Seville. Method: The participants were a group of families that went to the pediatric endocrinology unit. After the mothers signed the informed consent, we gave them the "General Health Questionnaire Goldberg" (GHQ-28), that once filled had to be returned by post mail. We present the results of 41 participants. Results: Most mothers did not show symptoms of psychopathological problems. Nonetheless, there were a 12.7% of cases with clinical significance in the anxiety-insomnia scale. Conclusions: There are no indicators of special psychopathology in the mothers of children with obesity or overweight, being anxiety symptoms the main problem they showed.