This literature review examines research issues in anorexia nervosa, including conceptual issues and methodological considerations. Research on the family's contribution to the disorder is reviewed. The demographic characteristics of social class, birth order, history of sexual abuse, and biological and genetic factors are examined. Individual pathology in the family is reviewed, focusing on weight problems, psychiatric disorders, and substance abuse. Family relationships are examined, focusing on self report and retrospective studies and interactional research. It is concluded that research literature reflects conflicting conclusions regarding the presence of psychopathology in the families of anorexics. It is recommended that better-controlled comparative research is needed before conclusions about typical family characteristics or patterns can be drawn. It is concluded that since research studies families in which the disorder already exists, it is difficult to determine whether particular family characteristics or patterns existed prior to onset or developed as result of the disorder. (ABL)