ABSTRACT
Couples in whom one member has an eating disorder have been of interest for many years. In the case of anorexia nervosa, this interest initially arose because of the belief that anorexia was generally associated with an avoidance of sexuality and, therefore, that such marriages were dysfunctional in some way. The more recent interest in bulimia nervosa, which has perhaps more to do with the explosion in the incidence of this disorder, has included a recognition that bulimia is a very serious problem among women in their adult years, the years when more intimate relationships are most often formed.*
Theories about the nature of the relationships of couples with such disorders have been plentiful, but not usually supported by very much in the way of empirical evidence. Most of the theories have been generated by attempts to apply information gleaned from clinical experiences with young patients, directly to marital relationships. Two of the more exciting advances in this area have been the gradual development of a theoretical
base that is more directly derived from clinical experience with such couples, and the appearance of an empirical literature that has begun to test the theories about these couples.
