Marital status, marital satisfaction, and body image dissatisfaction

Journal Article

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.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Friedman, MA; Dixon, AE; Brownell, KD; Whisman, MA; Wilfley, DE

Published Date

  • 1999

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 26 / 1

Start / End Page

  • 81 - 85

PubMed ID

  • 10349587

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0276-3478

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199907)26:1<81::AID-EAT10>3.0.CO;2-V