Single and married patients with eating disorders.

Forty married and 22 unmarried female patients with eating disorders were studied to elucidate the relationship between eating disorders and marriage. Eating disorders developed in 14 patients before marriage (premarital onset) and in 26 patients at or after marriage (postmarital onset). The postmarital onset group was a significantly higher age at onset, but similar in age and duration of illness compared with the group of 22 unmarried patients. However, the various clinical features of the three groups did not differ. Four premarital onset patients showed exaggerated clinical features after marriage, but the other patients showed no change in clinical features after marriage. In the postmarital onset group, eating disorders were triggered in 18 (69%) patients by marital problems, separation or divorce. In contrast, eating disorders were triggered by dieting to be slim in eight (57%) patients of the premarital onset group and 12 (55%) patients of the unmarried group. These results suggest that marital discord plays an important role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders among married women.