Husbands' adjustment to wives' weight loss after gastric restriction for morbid obesity

This study examined the personal and marital adjustment of husbands before and one year after their wives had gastric restriction surgery for morbid obesity. Seventy-five married women and their husbands were assessed by clinical interview and self-report questionnaires before surgery. Forty-three husbands (57 per cent) returned questionnaires at the 12 month follow-up, and in 36 cases both partners did so. Four couples separated in the first year after surgery. Husbands' self-reported personal adjustment before surgery was essentially normal, but their marital dissatisfaction was significantly elevated. Twelve months after surgery, their scores improved on the measure of psychoneurotic symptoms, and on assertion discomfort, extrapunitiveness and marital dissatisfaction. However, there was a significant reduction in assertion behaviour. In contrast, wives (who had lost an average of 35.4 kg) reported significant increases in extrapunitiveness and assertion behaviour, the latter increase being associate with raised marital dissatisfaction in husbands. This finding suggested that husbands' adaptation to wives' increased assertiveness is often a problem in the first year after surgery, confirming reports in the clinical literature.