Marital status, marital satisfaction, and body image dissatisfaction

✍ Scribed by Friedman, Michael A. ;Dixon, Amy E. ;Brownell, Kelly D. ;Whisman, Mark A. ;Wilfley, Denise E.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 109 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199907)26:1<81::aid-eat10>3.0.co;2-v

✦ Synopsis

Objective: This study examined whether married individuals have comparable body image disturbance to nonmarried individuals and whether the quality of a marital relationship is significantly related to body image disturbance in a sample of dieters. Method: Measures of marital status, marital satisfaction, and body dissatisfaction were administered to a sample of 16,377 subjects who had tried to lose weight at least once within the previous 3 years. Results: Marital status was not associated with increased body dissatisfaction. Marital satisfaction was significantly related to body dissatisfaction when controlling for age, body mass index, self-esteem, and gender. Discussion: Body dissatisfaction occurs at comparable levels among married and single individuals and the study of marital functioning among eating-disordered individuals represents a large gap in the literature.