ABSTRACT
In chapters 3 to 7 it was shown that the occurrence of AN or BN in a married patient is often complicated by marital problems, such as a low level of marital intimacy, a deficient communication style, conflict avoidance and sexual difficulties. These shortcomings not only cause a great deal of psychological distress in the patients and their husbands, but may also be an important obstacle for the constructive evolution of the eating disorder. Hence, a careful assessment of the marital relationship quality and of its impact on the eating disorder (and vice versa) should be part of the standard intake procedure for married eating disorder patients.
