Abstract
In relation to its diagnosis and treatment, obesity needs to be regarded as one of psychosomatic disorders. Two types of obesity, in the light of its mechanism, could be considered : one in which obesity results from eating behaviors as the way of dissolving psychological anxiety and tension in one's background, and the other in which psychological anxiety and tension is rather slight, but one's eating habitude itself is the cause of obesity.In order to investigate the characteristics of psychological aspects and eating habitudes relating to obesity, we studied 821 subjects (653 males and 168 females) by the means of STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), TEG (Todai Egogram) and the eating habitude questionnaire.In the males, we compared the results of STAI and TEG as psychological scales by obesity index, and found no difference in the scales by obesity index. However, the examination of eating habitudes showed some distinctions by obesity index. In the group with obesity index below 30%, eating habits of the subjects themselves lead to obesity. On the other hand, the subjects with obesity index over 30% seemed to have eating behaviors as the ways of dissolving their anxiety and frustrations besides the eating habits leading to obesity.As for the females, we hardly came to any conclusion due to the small size of the group. Yet, the ration of subjects of anxiety and over-adaptation increased in the group with obesity index over 10%. Accordingly, this suggested making further inquiries into psychological problems of female obesity. Conerning eating habitudes, the group with obesity index over 30% possibly used behaviors to diminish anxiety and to change psychological moods in the same manner as the males.
