An examination of the interrelationships among perceived social support, self-control, and depression in individuals undergoing medical nutrition treatment

Objective

Weight gain in individuals; in addition to physical and social life, it also negatively affects mental health and quality of life. However, it can cause social problems such as low self-esteem, depression and social stigma. This study, it was planned to examine the relationship between perceived social support, self-control and depression in individuals receiving medical nutrition therapy.

Methods

In total, 207 individuals (96 women, 111 men) received nutrition and diet counseling in a private clinic and were provided with medical nutrition treatment. The participants were closely monitored for 12 weeks. A survey including demographic information, anthropometric measurements, health and nutritional habits of individuals, a questionnaire including the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS), Self-Control Scale (SCS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were repeated at the beginning and end of the study.

Results

The study results indicate a significant decrease in weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist/hip ratio, waist/height ratio, body fat percentage, body fat mass, lean body percentage, and lean body mass from the first measurement (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the final measurement MSPSS and SCS scores showed a significant increase (P < 0.001). The BDI score was also significantly lower (P < 0.001) compared to the first measurement.

Conclusion

This study confirms that long-term medical nutrition therapy has positive effects on body composition, perceived social support, self-control, and depression. Future research should focus on larger sample sizes and systematic diagnostic evaluations to further support these findings.