Interoception and Illness Perception Before and After Bariatric Surgery: Impact on Disordered Eating (Interoceptiv-BAR)

Interoception refers to the ability to perceive, interpret, and integrate internal bodily signals and plays a key role in appetite regulation, emotional processing, and eating behavior. Altered interoceptive processing has been associated with obesity, disordered eating behaviors, and psychological distress. In individuals with severe obesity, bariatric surgery represents the most effective treatment for weight reduction; however, the persistence or recurrence of maladaptive eating behaviors after surgery remains a relevant clinical concern.

Bariatric surgery leads to marked modifications in the gut-brain axis, neuroendocrine signaling, and central processing of internal bodily signals. These changes may influence interoceptive awareness and illness perception, which in turn could affect long-term behavioral, psychological, and clinical outcomes. Despite increasing interest in these mechanisms, longitudinal evidence on subjective interoceptive changes and illness perception before and after bariatric surgery remains limited.

This monocentric, longitudinal, ambispective observational study is conducted in adults with severe obesity evaluated for bariatric surgery at a tertiary referral center. Psychological and clinical data are collected during the pre-operative assessment and during post-surgical follow-up, allowing the evaluation of changes over time in interoceptive awareness, illness perception, psychological functioning, and weight-related outcomes.

The study includes both a retrospective component, based on existing clinical data, and a prospective component with repeated assessments over long-term follow-up. By characterizing trajectories of interoceptive awareness and illness perception before and after bariatric surgery, this study aims to improve the understanding of psychological and behavioral factors involved in post-surgical outcomes and to support the development of more personalized multidisciplinary care pathways for patients with severe obesity.