Obesity and Marital Quality: Analysis of Weight, Marital Unhappiness, and Marital Problems in a U.S. National Sample

Obesity is a stigmatized condition that clinical studies have suggested is associated with low marital quality. Body weight, marital unhappiness, and marital problems were examined in a national telephone survey of 1,980 married adults. Few relationships between the 5 measures of weight and 2 measur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 1995-11, Vol.16 (6), p.746-764
Main Authors: SOBAL, JEFFERY, RAUSCHENBACH, BARBARA S., FRONGILLO, EDWARD A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body Weight
Case Studies
Data Analysis
Happiness
Husbands
Marital Instability
Marital Satisfaction
Marriage
Men
Obesity
Spouses
United States of America
Weight
Wives
Women
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Summary:Obesity is a stigmatized condition that clinical studies have suggested is associated with low marital quality. Body weight, marital unhappiness, and marital problems were examined in a national telephone survey of 1,980 married adults. Few relationships between the 5 measures of weight and 2 measures of marital quality (unhappiness and problems) were significant. Obese men had more marital problems. Men who lost more weight reported marital problems less often. Obese women reported less marital unhappiness. Men and women who gained weight were happier with their marriages. These population-based findings differ from popular beliefs and clinical studies and may be interpreted using family functioning, social norms, and marital exchange models.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/019251395016006004