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Fink-Lamotte J, Bieber H, Jordan H, Exner C. Once in Contact, Forever Contaminated! Introducing a Clinically Validated Imagery- and Video-Based Chain of Contagion Task for the Measurement of Disgust and Contamination Change in Experimental Research and Clinical Practice. Behav Ther 2024; 55:1043-1058. [PMID: 39174264 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Tolin et al. (2004) developed the Chain of Contagion Task (CCT) to experimentally test the law of contagion and looming vulnerability (LV). In the CCT, contaminated pencils are brought into contact with clean pencils. The degree of contamination transferred to further new pencils refers to the level of biased contagious beliefs. Although this could be an important transdiagnostic tool, the usability of the original paradigm has been very laborious. Therefore, an imagery- and video-based CCT is introduced and validated in Study 1 in a nonclinical sample with 85 participants. In Study 2, the imagery-based CCT was validated in a clinical study with 15 participants diagnosed with contamination-related obsessive-compulsive disorder (C-OCD), 15 participants suffering from an anxiety disorder, and 15 nonclinical controls. The number of participants is consistent with those in Tolin's original sample and the statistical evaluation of Study 2 was preregistered. Both CCT could be validated and the results could be replicated. In the imagery-based CCT, the C-OCD group displayed significantly higher contamination ratings, avoidance tendencies and LV than the two control groups. We argue that this open access diagnostic instrument can be applied in research as well as in therapeutic practice (Download CCT videos and imagery: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7730459).
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Byam LJ, Penney AM. COVID-19 anxiety and its relation to anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 244:104179. [PMID: 38364634 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental health of individuals, particularly in the area of anxiety-related disorders. Anxiety regarding COVID-19 has been associated with health anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Additionally, COVID-19 anxiety has been associated with anxiety sensitivity, disgust, maladaptive metacognitions, and intolerance of uncertainty. While researchers have established that anxiety disorders and anxiety-related mechanisms were associated with COVID-19 anxiety, which specific anxiety-related symptoms and mechanisms are primarily associated with COVID-19 anxiety needs to be more extensively explored. The current study sought to further this area by examining which particular anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms were uniquely associated with COVID-19 anxiety. A non-clinical sample of 593 Canadian undergraduate participants (Mage = 21.13 years; 67.7 % female) completed this cross-sectional study between September 2020 and February 2021. Participants completed online questionaries assessing anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms in addition to multiple scales of COVID-19 anxiety. When examining symptoms, health anxiety (prs = 0.17-0.29) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (prs = 0.16-0.35) symptoms had the strongest unique associations with COVID-19 anxiety. Among the anxiety-related mechanisms, disgust sensitivity (prs = 0.14-0.16) and health anxiety-specific intolerance of uncertainty (prs = 0.12-0.30) had the strongest unique associations with COVID-19 anxiety. Individuals experiencing these disorders and anxiety-related mechanisms may be at a heightened vulnerability to experiencing heightened anxiety during future pandemics. Mental health professionals should discuss COVID-19 anxiety with individuals experiencing health anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Lastly, the study highlights the significance of considering a variety of specific anxiety-related disorder symptoms and mechanisms when working to understand pandemic anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layton J Byam
- MacEwan University, Department of Psychology, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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3
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Pickenhan L, Milton AL. Opening new vistas on obsessive-compulsive disorder with the observing response task. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:249-265. [PMID: 38316708 PMCID: PMC11039534 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01153-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a highly prevalent and debilitating disorder, is incompletely understood in terms of underpinning behavioural, psychological, and neural mechanisms. This is attributable to high symptomatic heterogeneity; cardinal features comprise obsessions and compulsions, including clinical subcategories. While obsessive and intrusive thoughts are arguably unique to humans, dysfunctional behaviours analogous to those seen in clinical OCD have been examined in nonhuman animals. Genetic, ethological, pharmacological, and neurobehavioural approaches all contribute to understanding the emergence and persistence of compulsive behaviour. One behaviour of particular interest is maladaptive checking, whereby human patients excessively perform checking rituals despite these serving no purpose. Dysfunctional and excessive checking is the most common symptom associated with OCD and can be readily operationalised in rodents. This review considers animal models of OCD, the neural circuitries associated with impairments in habit-based and goal-directed behaviour, and how these may link to the compulsions observed in OCD. We further review the Observing Response Task (ORT), an appetitive instrumental learning procedure that distinguishes between functional and dysfunctional checking, with translational application in humans and rodents. By shedding light on the psychological and neural bases of compulsive-like checking, the ORT has potential to offer translational insights into the underlying mechanisms of OCD, in addition to being a platform for testing psychological and neurochemical treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise Pickenhan
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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Miegel F, Daubmann A, Moritz S, Balzar A, Yassari AH, Jelinek L. Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Dimensions and Their Relationships with Obsessive Beliefs: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis. Psychiatr Q 2023; 94:345-360. [PMID: 37410191 DOI: 10.1007/s11126-023-10037-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Dysfunctional beliefs are central in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as its treatment. Yet, research suggests that not all dysfunctional beliefs are equally important for each of the symptom dimensions of OCD. However, results are inconsistent in that studies contradict each other regarding the associations between specific symptom dimensions and belief domains. The aim of the present study was to clarify which belief domain is specifically associated with which OCD symptom dimension. Results could help to tailor treatments more specifically to the patient's OCD symptom dimension. In- and outpatients with OCD (N = 328; 43.6% male and 56.4% female) filled out questionnaires on symptom dimensions of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised) and dysfunctional beliefs (Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire). A structural equation model analysis was conducted to identify the associations between dysfunctional beliefs and symptom dimensions. Our results showed that perfectionism/intolerance of uncertainty was associated with hoarding and symmetry/ordering, (2) overestimation of threat/inflated responsibility was associated with checking compulsions, and (3) importance of thoughts/control of thoughts was associated with obsessing. These results were largely supported by a backward selection. Our results demonstrated associations of specific dysfunctional beliefs and specific OCD symptom dimensions. However, future studies are necessary to replicate these findings with other measures (e.g., clinician ratings).
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Miegel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Anne Daubmann
- Department of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alicia Balzar
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Amir-Hosseyn Yassari
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lena Jelinek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
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5
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Ouellet-Courtois C, Radomsky AS. Can immorality be contracted? Appraisals of moral disgust and contamination fear. Behav Res Ther 2023; 166:104336. [PMID: 37270955 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
While extant research underlines the role of disgust in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with contamination fear, less research attention has been devoted to moral disgust. This study endeavored to examine the types of appraisals that are elicited by moral disgust in comparison to core disgust, and to examine their associations with both contact and mental contamination symptoms. In a within-participants design, 148 undergraduate students were exposed to core disgust, moral disgust, and anxiety control elicitors via vignettes, and provided appraisal ratings of sympathetic magic, thought-action fusion and mental contamination, as well as compulsive urges. Measures of both contact and mental contamination symptoms were administered. Mixed modeling analyses indicated that core disgust and moral disgust elicitors both provoked greater appraisals of sympathetic magic and compulsive urges than anxiety control elicitors. Further, moral disgust elicitors elicited greater thought-action fusion and mental contamination appraisals than all other elicitors. Overall, these effects were greater in those with higher contamination fear. This study demonstrates how a range of contagion beliefs are evoked by the presence of 'moral contaminants', and that such beliefs are positively associated with contamination concerns. These results shed light on moral disgust as an important target in the treatment of contamination fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Ouellet-Courtois
- Concordia University, Department of Psychology, 7141 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Adam S Radomsky
- Concordia University, Department of Psychology, 7141 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, H4B 1R6, Canada.
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6
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Cui H, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Zhao Y, Ding Q, Chen R, Manssuer L, Zhang C, Liu W, Li D, Sun B, Voon V. Mechanisms underlying capsulotomy for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: neural correlates of negative affect processing overlap with deep brain stimulation targets. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3063-3074. [PMID: 36878966 PMCID: PMC10615758 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01989-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Ablative procedures such as anterior capsulotomy are potentially effective in refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Converging evidence suggests the ventral internal capsule white matter tracts traversing the rostral cingulate and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and thalamus is the optimal target for clinical efficacy across multiple deep brain stimulation targets for OCD. Here we ask which prefrontal regions and underlying cognitive processes might be implicated in the effects of capsulotomy by using both task fMRI and neuropsychological tests assessing OCD-relevant cognitive mechanisms known to map across prefrontal regions connected to the tracts targeted in capsulotomy. We tested OCD patients at least 6 months post-capsulotomy (n = 27), OCD controls (n = 33) and healthy controls (n = 34). We used a modified aversive monetary incentive delay paradigm with negative imagery and a within session extinction trial. Post-capsulotomy OCD subjects showed improved OCD symptoms, disability and quality of life with no differences in mood or anxiety or cognitive task performance on executive, inhibition, memory and learning tasks. Task fMRI revealed post-capsulotomy decreases in the nucleus accumbens during negative anticipation, and in the left rostral cingulate and left inferior frontal cortex during negative feedback. Post-capsulotomy patients showed attenuated accumbens-rostral cingulate functional connectivity. Rostral cingulate activity mediated capsulotomy improvement on obsessions. These regions overlap with optimal white matter tracts observed across multiple stimulation targets for OCD and might provide insights into further optimizing neuromodulation approaches. Our findings also suggest that aversive processing theoretical mechanisms may link ablative, stimulation and psychological interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailun Cui
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yijie Zhao
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Qiong Ding
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ruiqin Chen
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Luis Manssuer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Chencheng Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjuan Liu
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Dianyou Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Bomin Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Functional Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Valerie Voon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- Neural and Intelligence Engineering Centre, Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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7
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Brassard SL, Laliberte M, MacKillop J, Balodis IM. Disgust sensitivity and behavioural inhibitory systems in binge eating disorder: associations with eating pathology. Eat Weight Disord 2023; 28:15. [PMID: 36805341 PMCID: PMC9941244 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-023-01544-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Disgust sensitivity refers to how unpleasant a disgusting experience is to an individual and is involved in the development of many psychiatric conditions. Given its link with food ingestion, there is an interest in understanding how an individual's susceptibility to disgust relates to dietary habits. One possible mechanism giving rise to this association is through the effects negative emotions have on high-order cognitive processes, but few studies take this model into account. The aim of this study was to characterize general disgust sensitivity in a clinical binge eating disorder (BED) population, and explore whether disgust sensitivity relates to inhibitory control and eating pathology. Following a case-controlled study design, our results show that: (1) disgust sensitivity and its subscales do not differ between BED and healthy controls, (2) higher disgust sensitivity in BED relates to greater behavioural inhibition, (3) inhibitory control reaction times relate to aspects of eating pathology, and (4) inhibitory control does not mediate relationships between disgust sensitivity and BMI among participants with BED. Understanding the role of disgust sensitivity in BED may allow us to understand how negative emotion systems maintain dysregulated eating behaviours with the potential to inform emotion-regulation treatment approaches. Level of evidence: Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Brassard
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Michele Laliberte
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Eating Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Iris M Balodis
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada. .,Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
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8
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Berger U. Introduction to the special issue: How nonclinical psychology research can inform clinical perspectives on disgust. Bull Menninger Clin 2023; 87:1-4. [PMID: 37871190 DOI: 10.1521/bumc.2023.87.suppa.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Disgust is a universal emotion that significantly impacts human behavior and psychological well-being. While clinical psychology researchers made great strides in understanding disgust in the context of psychopathology, nonclinical researchers have contributed valuable insights that can inform clinical perspectives on disgust. This special issue aims to bring together the latest nonclinical research that can shed light on the nature, causes, and consequences of disgust-related psychopathology. The five articles in this issue cover various nonclinical topics, including inhibitory learning, autobiographical memories, food preferences, and the perception of self and others. This issue also covers the role of disgust in specific clinical disorders, including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and more. By showcasing novel approaches to researching clinical aspects of disgust, this special issue provides a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of the complex phenomenon of disgust and future directions in research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Berger
- Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Bronx, New York
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Knowles KA, Jessup SC, Olatunji BO. Facing Uncertainty: A Comparison of Hierarchical and Variable Exposure Interventions for Contamination Fear. J Obsessive Compuls Relat Disord 2023; 36:100777. [PMID: 36582425 PMCID: PMC9794192 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2022.100777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
Consistent with the inhibitory retrieval approach, one proposed modification to improve the effectiveness of exposure-based interventions is to maximize variability by not proceeding linearly up an exposure hierarchy. Accordingly, the present study compares hierarchical and variable exposure interventions for contamination-fearful individuals and examines the role of uncertainty to predict intervention outcomes. Participants (N=73) were randomly assigned to complete a single-session exposure intervention using a standard hierarchy or a variable exposure intervention in which hierarchy items were randomly presented. Participants completed a behavioral approach task (BAT) at baseline and two follow-up visits over a two-week period. Both interventions resulted in a significant decrease in anxiety and disgust as well as more BAT steps completed but did not differ from one another. However, individuals in the variable exposure condition reported less variability in uncertainty during exposure compared to those in the standard condition, d=.78. Furthermore, lower levels of variability in uncertainty predicted greater reductions in anxiety and disgust post-intervention. Consistent with previous studies, variable exposure did not convey additional benefit over standard, hierarchical exposure. The experience of uncertainty during exposure is an important yet understudied process that warrants additional investigation.
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Chung MC, Wang Y, Wu X, Wang N, Liu F, Ye Z, Peng T. Comparison between emerging adults and adults in terms of contamination fear, post-COVID-19 PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022:1-12. [PMID: 36124044 PMCID: PMC9476456 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03719-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The present study compared Chinese emerging adults and adults regarding the association between contamination fear, posttraumatic stress disorder post-COVID-19 and psychiatric comorbidity after controlling for demographic and trauma exposure variables. 1089 Chinese civilians (M = 382; F = 707) with a mean age of 26 years (M = 26.36, SD = 8.58) were recruited from different provinces in China via an online survey posted on mainstream Chinese social networking platforms. They completed a demographic page with questions on trauma exposure, the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results showed that 12.7%, 68.7% and 18.6% met criteria for full, partial and no PTSD, respectively. Emerging adults reported significantly lower levels of symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance, somatic problems, anxiety and fear of contamination than adults. In both emerging adults and adults, contamination fear was correlated with PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity. High educational attainment was significantly correlated with psychiatric comorbidity in emerging adults, but with PTSD in adults. Length of quarantine was correlated with psychiatric comorbidity only in adults. In conclusion, both emerging adults and adults developed varying levels of contamination fear, posttraumatic stress and general psychological symptoms following the outbreak of COVID-19. Emerging adults were more resilient than adults in coping with distress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yabing Wang
- Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
- School of English Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xili Wu
- School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Wang
- School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fangsong Liu
- School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Zilan Ye
- School of Humanities and Management, Guangdong Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Peng
- Shunde Wu Zhong Pei Hospital, Guangzhou, China
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11
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Miegel F, Bücker L, Kühn S, Mostajeran F, Moritz S, Baumeister A, Lohse L, Blömer J, Grzella K, Jelinek L. Exposure and Response Prevention in Virtual Reality for Patients with Contamination-Related Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: a Case Series. Psychiatr Q 2022; 93:861-882. [PMID: 35779165 DOI: 10.1007/s11126-022-09992-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Exposure therapy in virtual reality is successful in treating anxiety disorders. Studies on exposure and response prevention in virtual reality (VERP) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are rare, and it is unclear whether distress associated with other emotions than anxiety (e.g., disgust) can be evoked. The present study aimed to investigate whether distress can be induced during VERP in patients with contamination-related OCD (C-OCD) and a primary feeling of disgust. We treated eight female patients with C-OCD with the primary emotion of disgust over six weeks with VERP and assessed their OC symptoms before and after the intervention period with the Y-BOCS. We measured subjective units of distress (SUD), heart rate and skin conductivity (arousal), sense of presence, and simulator sickness during four consecutive exposure sessions. VERP was able to induce distress and arousal. The qualitative feedback was heterogeneous and sense of presence moderate. Patients' OC symptoms reduced over the treatment period with medium to large effect sizes, but only two patients were considered responders; two patients discontinued treatment due to lack of treatment success. Although VERP was able to induce distress and arousal associated with disgust and evoked a moderate sense of presence, the low rate of symptom reduction diminishes the positive results. Possible reasons for the heterogeneous results and implications are discussed. Trial registration: German Registry for Clinical Studies (DRKS00016929), 10.04.2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Miegel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Lara Bücker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fariba Mostajeran
- Department of Informatics, University of Hamburg, Vogt-Kölln-Strasse 30, 22527, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steffen Moritz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anna Baumeister
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Luzie Lohse
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jannik Blömer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karsten Grzella
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lena Jelinek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
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Williams BM, Brown ML, Sandoval-Araujo L, Russell S, Levinson CA. Psychiatric Comorbidity Among Eating Disorders and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Underlying Shared Mechanisms and Features: An Updated Review. J Cogn Psychother 2022; 36:226-246. [PMID: 35882534 DOI: 10.1891/jcpsy-d-2021-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) are highly comorbid with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with comorbidity rates as high as 41%. In the current review, we summarize the literature regarding the prevalence of ED-OCD comorbidity. We also identify and review the literature assessing shared features (i.e., shared characteristics or symptoms) and mechanisms (i.e., variables that may explain ED or OCD symptoms) of EDs and OCD. Potential shared features of EDs and OCD include age of onset, course of illness, obsessions, compulsions and ritualistic behaviors, and thought action fusion. Shared mechanisms that may explain ED-OCD comorbidity include genetic and neurobiological mechanisms, anxiety and fear, repetitive negative thinking, perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, distress tolerance, and impulsivity. Based on these shared features and mechanisms, a theoretical conceptualization of ED and OCD comorbidity is developed, and outline considerations for assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment, and future research regarding ED-OCD comorbidity are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna M Williams
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
| | - Mackenzie L Brown
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
| | - Luis Sandoval-Araujo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
| | | | - Cheri A Levinson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
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13
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van Leeuwen F, Jaeger B. Pathogen disgust sensitivity: Individual differences in pathogen perception or pathogen avoidance? MOTIVATION AND EMOTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11031-022-09937-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe emotion disgust motivates the avoidance of pathogens and contaminants. Individuals differ in their tendency to experience disgust and this is referred to as pathogen disgust sensitivity. Yet, it remains unclear which differences in psychological processes are captured by pathogen disgust sensitivity. We tested two hypotheses about how the information processing structure underlying pathogen avoidance might give rise to individual differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity. Participants (n = 998) rated the perceived health of individuals with or without facial blemishes and indicated how comfortable they would feel about having physical contact with them. For participants with high disgust sensitivity, facial blemishes were more indicative of poor health and perceived health was more strongly related to comfort with physical contact. These findings suggest that pathogen disgust sensitivity reflects individual differences in the tendency to interpret stimuli as an infection risk and the weight given to estimated infection risk when deciding who should be approached or avoided.
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Cooper SE, Dunsmoor JE. Fear conditioning and extinction in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 129:75-94. [PMID: 34314751 PMCID: PMC8429207 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Laboratory experiments using fear conditioning and extinction protocols help lay the groundwork for designing, testing, and optimizing innovative treatments for anxiety-related disorders. Yet, there is limited basic research on fear conditioning and extinction in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This is surprising because exposure-based treatments based on associative learning principles are among the most popular and effective treatment options for OCD. Here, we systematically review and critically assess existing aversive conditioning and extinction studies of OCD. Across 12 studies, there was moderate evidence that OCD is associated with abnormal acquisition of conditioned responses that differ from comparison groups. There was relatively stronger evidence of OCD's association with impaired extinction processes. This included multiple studies finding elevated conditioned responses during extinction learning and poorer threat/safety discrimination during recall, although a minority of studies yielded results inconsistent with this conclusion. Overall, the conditioning model holds value for OCD research, but more work is necessary to clarify emerging patterns of results and increase clinical translational utility to the level seen in other anxiety-related disorders. We detail limitations in the literature and suggest next steps, including modeling OCD with more complex conditioning methodology (e.g., semantic/conceptual generalization, avoidance) and improving individual-differences assessment with dimensional techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel E Cooper
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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Emotional induced attentional blink in obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Affect Disord 2021; 283:101-107. [PMID: 33535107 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although an attentional bias for threat is implicated in anxiety disorders, such a bias has not been consistently observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This inconsistency is partially due to a paucity of studies employing robust attentional tasks. The emotional attentional blink (EAB), a phenomenon in which the brief appearance of a task-irrelevant, emotionally arousing image captures attention to such an extent that target stimuli cannot be detected, have increasing been employed as more robust tasks of attentional biases. METHODS In the present study, patients with OCD (n = 23) and controls (n = 24) completed an EAB paradigm that required searching for a target embedded within a series of rapidly presented images. Critically, a fear, disgust, positive, or neutral distracter image appeared 200 ms or 800 ms before the target (i.e., lag 2 and lag 8). RESULTS Although accuracy was significantly reduced for control participants when emotionally arousing images served as distractors compare to neutral images at lag 2 (but not at lag 8), no statistically significant differences in accuracy were observed between emotionally arousing images and neutral images among those with OCD. Subsequent analysis did show that OCD symptoms across all participants was significantly correlated with difficulty disengaging from emotionally arousing, but not neutral, images. LIMITATIONS Relatively small sample size and absence of personally-relevant threatening stimuli. CONCLUSIONS The reduced attentional capture by emotionally arousing images in OCD, relative to neutral images neutral, may suggest inefficient engagement and disengagement of attentional networks.
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von Spreckelsen P, Jonker NC, Vugteveen J, Wessel I, Glashouwer KA, de Jong PJ. Individual differences in avoiding feelings of disgust: Development and construct validity of the disgust avoidance questionnaire. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248219. [PMID: 33690707 PMCID: PMC7946286 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We developed and examined the construct validity of the Disgust Avoidance Questionnaire (DAQ) as a measure of people’s inclination to prevent experiencing disgust (disgust prevention) and to escape from the experience of disgust (disgust escape). In a stepwise item-reduction (Study 1; N = 417) using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) based on a 4-subscale distinction (behavioral prevention, cognitive prevention, behavioral escape, cognitive escape), we selected 17 items from a pool of potential items. In order to incorporate the conceptual overlap between dimensions of disgust avoidance, focus (prevention vs. escape), and strategy (behavioral avoidance vs. cognitive avoidance), we specified an adapted model. In this model, we allowed each item to load on one type of dimension and one type of strategy, resulting in four overlapping factors (prevention, escape, behavioral avoidance, cognitive avoidance). Evaluation of this overlapping 4-factor model (Study 2; N = 513) using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) showed promising model fit indices, factor loadings, factor correlations, and reliability estimates for three of the four factors (prevention, behavioral avoidance, cognitive avoidance). Those three subscales also showed good convergent validity. In contrast, the results related to the escape factor may call the suitability of self-report to assess disgust escape into question. In light of the exploratory nature of the project, future examinations of the DAQ’s validity and applicability to more diverse samples are essential. A critical next step for future research would be to examine the DAQ’s criterion validity and the distinctive roles of the DAQ subscales in (clinical) psychological constructs and processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula von Spreckelsen
- Department of Psychology (Expertise Group: Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Nienke C. Jonker
- Department of Psychology (Expertise Group: Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jorien Vugteveen
- Department of Psychology (Expertise Group: Psychometrics and Statistics), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ineke Wessel
- Department of Psychology (Expertise Group: Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Klaske A. Glashouwer
- Department of Psychology (Expertise Group: Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Eating Disorders, Accare Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J. de Jong
- Department of Psychology (Expertise Group: Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Mancusi L, McKay D. Behavioral avoidance tasks for eliciting disgust and anxiety in contamination fear: An examination of a test for a combined disgust and fear reaction. J Anxiety Disord 2021; 78:102366. [PMID: 33578215 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
While research supports the role of disgust in contamination OCD, there is also an overlap with fear in motivating avoidance. The "heebie-jeebies" is an emotional response associated with fear and disgust that motivates avoidance of contact with skin-transmitted pathogens (e.g., parasites). This motivation aligns with characteristics of contamination OCD. From a screening of undergraduate students (N = 188), contamination fearful (n = 14), high trait-anxious (n = 14), and low trait-anxious (n = 18) groups were created. Participants engaged in disgust, fear, and "heebie-jeebies" behavioral avoidance tasks. Participants rated "heebie-jeebies" emotion, physical sensations, and behavioral urges. Duration or refusal of task was recorded. A significant interaction effect was found for disgust and anxiety. Participants with higher disgust reported higher "heebie-jeebies" emotion at high, but not low, levels of anxiety. Exploratory analyses revealed that many contamination fearful and high trait-anxious participants refused to complete the task. The interaction of disgust and anxiety significantly predicted the probability of refusal. Participants with higher disgust and anxiety were more likely to refuse to complete the task. Results suggest that the "heebie-jeebies" motivates avoidance of skin-transmitted pathogens. Future research is warranted to further investigate the "heebie-jeebies" and how it relates to contamination concerns.
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Berman NC, Hezel DM, Wilhelm S. Is my patient too sad to approach their fear? Depression severity and imaginal exposure outcomes for patients with OCD. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2021; 70:101615. [PMID: 32937237 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES There is conflicting research on how comorbid depression impacts the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) with exposure with response prevention. To better understand this relationship, the current study tests theoretical claims that greater depression limits motivation to engage in exposures, restricts habituation, and interferes with adaptive learning. METHODS Fifty-one individuals with OCD completed a diagnostic interview and self-report questionnaires assessing depression symptom severity and then participated in a standardized imaginal exposure protocol, in which they repeatedly approached an idiosyncratic fear deemed "moderately anxiety-provoking." RESULTS Contrary to expectations, linear regression models indicated that depression symptom severity was not independently associated with motivation, subjective or objective within-session habituation or adaptive learning outcomes. However, the perceived likelihood of the best-case scenario occurring as a result of the exposure moderated the relationship between depression severity and motivation to engage in the exposure exercise. LIMITATIONS Use of a one-session exposure protocol precludes conclusions regarding how depression is associated with outcomes in a full ERP treatment. CONCLUSIONS Depression symptom severity was not independently associated with motivation, habituation, or adaptive learning. The observed non-significant effects suggest that degree of depression, on its own, is not a meaningful indicator of how patients with OCD will fare an exposure intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Chase Berman
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, OCD and Related Disorders, 185 Cambridge Street, Suite 2000, Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Psychology Department, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College St., Beaven Hall, PO Box 38A, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA.
| | - Dianne M Hezel
- Center for Obsessive-Compulsive Treatment and Related Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit #69, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Sabine Wilhelm
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, OCD and Related Disorders, 185 Cambridge Street, Suite 2000, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
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Eyal T, Dar R, Liberman N. Is disgust in obsessive-compulsive disorder mediated by fear of pathogens? J Anxiety Disord 2021; 77:102340. [PMID: 33302175 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) tend to report higher levels of disgust, but not much is known about factors that might underlie this relationship. The present study was motivated by the behavioral immune theory, which suggests that disgust has evolved as a protective reaction to potential presence of disease agents in the immediate environment. We examined the relationships between the intensity of experienced physical disgust, perceived vulnerability to disease, and OCD symptoms. The intensity of experienced disgust was assessed with a recent procedure whereby participants rate how disgusted they feel in response to color versus black-and-white pictures that evoke physical disgust. In addition to this procedure, participants (N = 403) completed measures of perceived vulnerability to disease, OCD symptoms, depression and anxiety. OCD symptoms were positively related to the physical disgust evoked by the pictures, and this relationship was mediated by reported emotional discomfort in contexts that connote a potential for pathogen transmission. Replicating previous findings, color pictures were rated as more disgusting than black-and-white pictures overall, and this effect was especially pronounced among people with higher OCD tendencies. These results suggest that, consistent with behavioral immune theory, disgust in OCD is a basic, concrete emotion that is at least partly mediated by fear of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Eyal
- Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
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Ferreira J, Bem-Haja P, Alho L, Soares SC. Subjective Experience of Disgust. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1027/2512-8442/a000059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Background: Individual differences in the experience of disgust are known to influence the development and maintenance of several psychopathologies. Aims: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale – Revised (DPSS-R). Method: The factor validity, the reliability of the Portuguese version of DPSS-R, the convergent validity, and the relationship with other scales were assessed in 229 participants. Results: The modified two-factor model, disgust propensity and sensitivity, was confirmed with good fit indexes and with acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, the internal consistency and the composite reliability of the DPSS-R were appropriate. The DPSS-R also revealed significant associations with the Disgust Scale, Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Spider Phobia Questionnaire – Revised, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Specifically, the disgust propensity factor was found to be a significant predictor of fear of spiders and trait anxiety, whereas both DPSS-R factors predicted obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Finally, women reported higher levels of disgust propensity and sensitivity than men. Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the DPSS-R proved to be a valid and reliable measure of disgust propensity and sensitivity and, therefore, with potential relevance for application in both research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Ferreira
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS.UA), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Portugal
- Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Pedro Bem-Haja
- Center for Health Technology and Services Research (CINTESIS.UA), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Portugal
- Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Laura Alho
- Lusófona University of Humanities and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sandra C. Soares
- William James Center for Research (WJCR.UA), Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Portugal
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Lee M, Shafran R, Burgess C, Carpenter J, Millard E, Thorpe S. The induction of mental and contact contamination. CLIN PSYCHOL-UK 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/cp.12003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Lee
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK,
| | - Roz Shafran
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK,
| | - Charlotte Burgess
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK,
| | - Jodi Carpenter
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK,
| | - Emma Millard
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK,
| | - Susan Thorpe
- School of Psychology, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK,
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Novara C, Vivet B, Raffard S. Le dégoût dans le trouble obsessionnel compulsif, mécanismes, évaluation, implications pour des pistes thérapeutiques. PRAT PSYCHOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prps.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Erbay MF, Zayman EP. The Role of Insular Cortex in Response to Group Therapy in Vaginismus Patients: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study. Psychiatry Investig 2020; 17:608-612. [PMID: 32517415 PMCID: PMC7324733 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2019.0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Disgust has been propounded as a potential etiological factor in certain sexual dysfunctions such as vaginismus. Studies reports that insular cortex is activated as a response to disgust. The present study aimed to investigate the predictive role of metabolites in insular cortex in response to group therapy among vaginismus patients. METHODS Study sample consisted of 51 vaginismus patients attended an ambulatory group therapy, of whom 26 benefited from 8-week group therapy and 25 were unresponsive to group therapy. All of the patients underwent H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS), and insular cortex N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), Creatinine (Cr), Glutamine (Gln), Glutathione (GSH), Choline (Cho), Myo-inositol (mIns), Glutamate (Glu) and Lactate (Lac) concentrations were compared between the groups. RESULTS Comparing insular cortex metabolite concentrations between the groups, Cho was statistically significantly higher (p=0.005) but mIns was significantly lower (p=0.001) in the unresponsive to group therapy group. CONCLUSION MR spectroscopy findings of the present study indicated significant metabolic changes such as increased Cho/Cr ratio and decreased mIns/Cr ratio in the insular cortex of vaginismus patients who were unresponsive to group therapy. Our results support the studies suggesting that disgust is an important emotion in vaginismus patients and also that insula plays a role in the neurobiology of disgust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Fatih Erbay
- Department of Radiology, Inonu University School of Medicine, Malatya,Turkey
| | - Esra Porgalı Zayman
- Department of Psychiatry, Inonu University School of Medicine, Malatya,Turkey
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Sarabian C, Ngoubangoye B, MacIntosh AJJ. Divergent strategies in faeces avoidance between two cercopithecoid primates. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191861. [PMID: 32269806 PMCID: PMC7137971 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Parasites constitute a major selective pressure which has shaped animal behaviour through evolutionary time. One adaption to parasites consists of recognizing and avoiding substrates or cues that indicate their presence. Among substrates harbouring infectious agents, faeces are known to elicit avoidance behaviour in numerous animal species. However, the function and mechanisms of faeces avoidance in non-human primates has been largely overlooked by scientists. In this study, we used an experimental approach to investigate whether aversion to faeces in a foraging context is mediated by visual and olfactory cues in two cercopithecoid primates: mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) and long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Visual and olfactory cues of faeces elicited lower food consumption rates in mandrills and higher food manipulation rates in long-tailed macaques. Both results support the infection-avoidance hypothesis and confirm similar tendencies observed in other primate species. More studies are now needed to investigate the divergence of avoidance strategies observed in non-human primates regarding food contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Sarabian
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama 484-8506, Japan
| | - Barthélémy Ngoubangoye
- Centre de Primatologie, Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville, Franceville BP 769, Gabon
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Examining the functional activity of different obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions in Tourette syndrome. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 26:102198. [PMID: 32062563 PMCID: PMC7025096 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Patients with Tourette Syndrome completed an obsessive–compulsive provocation task. Patients reported higher anxiety for the provocation conditions than did controls. Group differences found in the insula, sensorimotor cortex and supramarginal gyri. Obsessive–compulsive severity associated with frontal and parietal lobe activity. Tic severity associated with anterior cingulate activity for the symmetry condition.
Objectives Tourette syndrome (TS) is commonly comorbid with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and many phenomenological similarities exist between tics and obsessive–compulsive symptoms (OCS). Therefore, due to the clinical importance of comorbid OCD, the goal of this study was to investigate the neural substrates of OCS in TS using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Methods Forty patients with TS and 20 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing blocks of OCS-provoking pictures relating to washing, checking and symmetry symptoms, as well as generally disgusting and neutral scenes. Statistical comparisons were made between patients with moderate/severe OCS, absent/mild OCS and healthy controls. As well, within the entire TS patient group, significant associations with clinical measures were assessed for each of the provocation conditions. Results Group differences in the insula, sensorimotor cortex, supramarginal gyrus and visual processing regions were common among the checking, washing and disgust conditions. In the patient group, negative associations between OCS severity and activity in the supramarginal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, sensorimotor cortex, precuneus and visual processing regions were common among the provocation conditions. Tic severity was only associated with activity in the anterior cingulate cortex for the symmetry condition. Conclusion Our findings implicate areas previously reported to be involved in OCD, as well as areas not typically implicated in OCD, suggesting that the neurobiological profile of TS+OCD is intermediate to pure TS and pure OCD.
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Legenbauer T, Radix AK, Naumann E, Blechert J. The Body Image Approach Test (BIAT): A Potential Measure of the Behavioral Components of Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa? Front Psychol 2020; 11:30. [PMID: 32082214 PMCID: PMC7005054 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A disturbed body image with fluctuating behavioral patterns of body related avoidance (BA) and body checking (BC) characterizes individuals with eating disorders (EDs) such as anorexia (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). So far, these behavioral body image components are mostly assessed via self-report instruments thereby neglecting their behavioral and partially automatic characteristics. Therefore, behavioral measures of BA and BC are needed. The present study investigates a behavioral assessment task for BA and BC in a sample of patients with diagnosed EDs and healthy controls. The sample consisted of 40 women diagnosed with either BN (N = 19) or AN (N = 21; ED sample) and 24 non-eating disordered, healthy female controls (HC). Within the Body Image Approach Task (BIAT) participants viewed photos of their own body (self-image) and a matched control body (other-image) by zooming the photos closer toward them (image became more focused) on the screen. The BIAT yields zoom-levels recorded separately for self- relative to other-images. Further measures were attractiveness ratings of these body images as well as questionnaire measures of BA, BC, and general ED symptomatology. Results showed that despite strong body dissatisfaction and clearly negative ratings of self- relative to other-images in both EDs, no group differences were found in approach to self-images on zoom-level as measured with the BIAT. Correlational analysis in each group indicated that zoom-level was positively related to BA scores in the HC group only. Yet, stepwise regression analyses revealed that attractiveness ratings explained most of the variance accounted by BA in predicting zoom-level. In sum, the BIAT seems suitable to assess BA and self-rated body attractiveness, but only in healthy individuals with subclinical levels on these constructs. It does not seem to capture the body image satisfaction or the behavioral components of body image disturbances in AN or BN or it conflates the opposed influences of BA and BC. Further experimentation is needed to adapt measures of behavioral body image components to the processes evoked in patients with ED during confrontation with body images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Legenbauer
- LWL University Hospital Hamm for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ruhr-University Bochum, Hamm, Germany
| | - Anne Kathrin Radix
- LWL University Hospital Hamm for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ruhr-University Bochum, Hamm, Germany
| | - Eva Naumann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jens Blechert
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Jalal B, McNally RJ, Elias JA, Potluri S, Ramachandran VS. "Fake it till You Make it"! Contaminating Rubber Hands ("Multisensory Stimulation Therapy") to Treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 13:414. [PMID: 31998095 PMCID: PMC6962184 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a deeply enigmatic psychiatric condition associated with immense suffering worldwide. Efficacious therapies for OCD, like exposure and response prevention (ERP), are sometimes poorly tolerated by patients. As many as 25% of patients refuse to initiate ERP mainly because they are too anxious to follow exposure procedures. Accordingly, we proposed a simple and tolerable (immersive yet indirect) low-cost technique for treating OCD that we call “multisensory stimulation therapy.” This method involves contaminating a rubber hand during the so-called “rubber hand illusion” (RHI) in which tactile sensations may be perceived as arising from a fake hand. Notably, Jalal et al. (2015) showed that such fake hand contamination during the RHI provokes powerful disgust reactions in healthy volunteers. In the current study, we explored the therapeutic potential of this novel approach. OCD patients (n = 29) watched as their hidden real hand was being stroked together with a visible fake hand; either synchronously (inducing the RHI; i.e., the experimental condition; n = 16) or asynchronously (i.e., the control condition; n = 13). After 5 min of tactile stimulation, the rubber hand was contaminated with fake feces, simulating conventional exposure therapy. Intriguingly, results suggested sensory assimilation of contamination sensations into the body image via the RHI: patients undergoing synchronous stimulation did not report greater contamination sensations when the fake hand was initially contaminated relative to asynchronous stroking. But contrary to expectations, they did so after the rubber hand had been contaminated for 5 min, as assessed via disgust facial expressions (a secondary outcome) and in vivo exposure (upon discontinuing the illusion). Further, to our surprise, synchronous and asynchronous stroking induced an equally vivid and fast-emerging illusion, which helps explain why both conditions initially (5 min after initiating tactile stimulation) provoked contamination reactions of equal magnitude. This study is the first to suggest heightened malleability of body image in OCD. Importantly, it may pave the way for a tolerable technique for the treatment of OCD—highly suitable for poorly resourced and emergency settings, including low-income and developing countries with minimal access to high-tech solutions like virtual reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baland Jalal
- Department of Psychiatry, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Richard J McNally
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jason A Elias
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sriramya Potluri
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Vilayanur S Ramachandran
- Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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Specificity of Disgust in the Prediction of Behavioral Avoidance of Possible Contaminants. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-019-10067-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Anderson S, Clarke V. Disgust, shame and the psychosocial impact of skin picking: Evidence from an online support forum. J Health Psychol 2019; 24:1773-1784. [PMID: 28810443 DOI: 10.1177/1359105317700254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This article examines the accounts of individuals who problematically pick their skin and explores their subjective experiences. In total, 100 problem disclosure statements were taken from posts made to a publicly accessible online skin picking support forum. These posts were systematically analysed using thematic analysis. Themes of disgust, shame and psychosocial avoidance dominated the analysis and appeared central to the experience of skin picking. Skin picking was shown to be a heterogeneous experience with a complex emotional profile. We argue that disgust, shame and related avoidance behaviour should be considered when conceptualising skin picking and considering treatment interventions.
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Sica C, Caudek C, Belloch A, Bottesi G, Ghisi M, Melli G, García-Soriano G, Olatunji BO. Not Just Right Experiences, Disgust Proneness and Their Associations to Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms: A Stringent Test with Structural Equation Modeling Analysis. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-019-10029-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Ouimet AJ, Ashbaugh AR, Radomsky AS. Hoping for more: How cognitive science has and hasn't been helpful to the OCD clinician. Clin Psychol Rev 2019; 69:14-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Novara C, Boiché J, Lebrun C, Macgregor A, Mateo Y, Raffard S. Disgust assessment: Factorial structure and psychometric properties of the French version of the Disgust Propension and Sensibility Scale Revised-12. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0210639. [PMID: 30689643 PMCID: PMC6349310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examined the internal and external validity of the French version of the 12-item Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-Revised (DPSS-12) in a nonclinical sample from the general population. Two hundred and eighty-two participants completed the DPSSf-12 questionnaire as well as the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), Anxiety Trait (STAI B), Obsessional Belief Questionnaire 44 items (OBQ 44), Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a 2-factor structure after two sensitivity items were removed. The 10-item scale showed good internal consistency, construct validity and test-retest reliability. These adequate psychometric properties make the DPSSf-10 appropriate for use by researchers and practitioners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Novara
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ. Montpellier, EPSYLON EA, Montpellier, France
- Groupe Ramsay Gds, Clinique RECH, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Julie Boiché
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ. Montpellier, EPSYLON EA, Montpellier, France
| | - Cindy Lebrun
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ. Montpellier, EPSYLON EA, Montpellier, France
| | - Alexandra Macgregor
- Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Yohan Mateo
- Groupe Ramsay Gds, Clinique RECH, Montpellier, France
| | - Stéphane Raffard
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ. Montpellier, EPSYLON EA, Montpellier, France
- Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie Adulte, CHU Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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Wilver NL, Summers BJ, Garratt GH, Carlton CN, Cougle JR. An initial investigation of the unique relationship between disgust propensity and body dysmorphic disorder. Psychiatry Res 2018; 269:237-243. [PMID: 30153602 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Disgust is a universal emotion that has received recent empirical attention for its potential role in various forms of psychopathology. We conducted two studies using varying methods to explore the relationship between disgust propensity, a construct related to obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Study 1 found a significant and unique (i.e., above and beyond co-occurring depression and anxiety) relationship between higher disgust propensity and more severe BDD symptoms, as measured by a standardized self-report and via an in-vivo task aimed at eliciting BDD-related concerns (N = 200). In Study 2, a clinical sample of individuals with BDD (N = 50) reported higher disgust propensity compared to mentally healthy controls (N = 36). This finding remained significant when controlling for depression and anxiety. Findings are the first to our knowledge to demonstrate a relationship between disgust propensity and BDD symptoms and provide directions for future research exploring the role of disgust in BDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie L Wilver
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
| | - Berta J Summers
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge Street, Suite 2000, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Grace H Garratt
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
| | - Corinne N Carlton
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
| | - Jesse R Cougle
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
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Knowles KA, Jessup SC, Olatunji BO. Disgust in Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: Recent Findings and Future Directions. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2018; 20:68. [PMID: 30094516 PMCID: PMC6422162 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-018-0936-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW In the past 20 years, the role of disgust in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been investigated with increasing precision. In this review, we examine recent evidence implicating disgust in anxiety and OCD, highlighting recent measurement and methodological improvements. Specific emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms that may account for the role of disgust in OCD and related disorders. RECENT FINDINGS Recent developments include clarification of the role of distinct disgust-relevant vulnerabilities in the etiology of anxiety and OCD, an improved understanding of the neurobiology of disgust processing in OCD, and an increased focus on disgust-related mechanisms that contribute to psychopathology, such as disgust-based learning and emotion regulation. Disgust proneness is increasingly linked with symptoms of anxiety and OCD. However, further examination of the mechanisms that account for the roles of distinct disgust-relevant vulnerabilities is needed, and studies that directly examine disgust during the course of treatment are limited. Increasingly, the field has moved toward experimental investigation of specific disgust-relevant mechanisms that influence the etiology and treatment of OCD and related anxiety disorders.
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Knowles KA, Tomarken AJ, Olatunji BO. Effects of exposure to erotica on disgust: A preliminary test among contamination-fearful individuals. J Obsessive Compuls Relat Disord 2018; 18:54-60. [PMID: 39399740 PMCID: PMC11469637 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Disgust has been implicated in the fear of contamination that is commonly observed in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, basic and treatment-oriented research has shown that disgust is resistant to extinction among those with a fear of contamination. Consequently, there is growing interest in discovering novel approaches to targeting heightened disgust responding among those with OCD. Recent experimental research suggests that sexual arousal may inhibit disgust responding. Accordingly, the present study examines the effects of exposure to erotica on verbal reports of disgust and behavioral avoidance in a contamination-fearful sample of adults. Participants viewed sexually arousing, positively arousing, or neutral films and participated in a series of sexually relevant and non-sexually relevant behavioral approach tasks. Participants also gave ratings of disgust before and after completing each behavioral task. Although no group differences were observed for the number of steps completed on the behavioral approach tasks, those who viewed sexually arousing films reported significantly less change in disgust throughout the behavioral approach task compared to those who viewed positively arousing and neutral films. The potential clinical implications of the effects of sexual arousal on disgust responding in contamination-based OCD are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A. Knowles
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Psychology, 312 Wilson Hall, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Andrew J. Tomarken
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Psychology, 312 Wilson Hall, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Bunmi O. Olatunji
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Psychology, 312 Wilson Hall, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
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Neacsiu AD, Rompogren J, Eberle JW, McMahon K. Changes in Problematic Anger, Shame, and Disgust in Anxious and Depressed Adults Undergoing Treatment for Emotion Dysregulation. Behav Ther 2018; 49:344-359. [PMID: 29704965 PMCID: PMC5930243 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Emotion dysregulation, the pervasive difficulty managing negative emotions, is a core problem across mood and anxiety disorders. Anger, shame, and disgust are particularly problematic emotions, impacting both disorder severity and treatment outcome. We previously found that a 16-week dialectical behavior therapy skills training group (DBT-ST) was superior to an activities-based support group (ASG) in decreasing emotion dysregulation in 44 adults with high emotion dysregulation who met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety or depressive disorder. We presently examine these participants' changes in anger, shame, disgust, and distress using self-reports collected over 6 months during and after treatment. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses show that DBT-ST was superior to ASG in decreasing anger suppression (d = 0.93) and distress (d = 1.04). Both conditions significantly reduced shame, disgust propensity, and disgust sensitivity, but neither was superior for these outcomes. The treatments did not significantly reduce anger expression. Mediation analyses suggest that condition indirectly influenced 4-month anger suppression, shame, and distress through its effect on 2-month emotion dysregulation. These findings suggest that DBT-ST is efficacious for certain problematic emotions and distress in depressed and anxious adults and that common factors may account for some, but not all, of its benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joscelyn Rompogren
- California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University and University of Washington
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Ching THW, Williams MT, Siev J, Olatunji BO. Responsibility/Threat Overestimation Moderates the Relationship Between Contamination-Based Disgust and Obsessive-Compulsive Concerns About Sexual Orientation. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2018; 47:1109-1117. [PMID: 29476409 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1165-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Disgust has been shown to perform a "disease-avoidance" function in contamination fears. However, no studies have examined the relevance of disgust to obsessive-compulsive (OC) concerns about sexual orientation (e.g., fear of one's sexual orientation transforming against one's will, and compulsive avoidance of same-sex and/or gay or lesbian individuals to prevent that from happening). Therefore, we investigated whether the specific domain of contamination-based disgust (i.e., evoked by the perceived threat of transmission of essences between individuals) predicted OC concerns about sexual orientation, and whether this effect was moderated/amplified by obsessive beliefs, in evaluation of a "sexual orientation transformation-avoidance" function. We recruited 283 self-identified heterosexual college students (152 females, 131 males; mean age = 20.88 years, SD = 3.19) who completed three measures assessing disgust, obsessive beliefs, and OC concerns about sexual orientation. Results showed that contamination-based disgust (β = .17), responsibility/threat overestimation beliefs (β = .15), and their interaction (β = .17) each uniquely predicted OC concerns about sexual orientation, ts = 2.22, 2.50, and 2.90, ps < .05. Post hoc probing indicated that high contamination-based disgust accompanied by strong responsibility/threat overestimation beliefs predicted more severe OC concerns about sexual orientation, β = .48, t = 3.24, p < .001. The present study, therefore, provided preliminary evidence for a "sexual orientation transformation-avoidance" process underlying OC concerns about sexual orientation in heterosexual college students, which is facilitated by contamination-based disgust, and exacerbated by responsibility/threat overestimation beliefs. Treatment for OC concerns about sexual orientation should target such beliefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terence H W Ching
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
| | - Monnica T Williams
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Jedidiah Siev
- Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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39
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Predicting Contamination Aversion Using Implicit and Explicit Measures of Disgust and Threat Overestimation. BEHAVIOUR CHANGE 2018. [DOI: 10.1017/bec.2018.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Explicit measures of disgust and threat overestimation have consistently been found to be involved in contamination aversion. However, evidence of the involvement of these factors at the implicit level is mixed, and the role of both responses has not been looked at concurrently. This study aimed to compare the ability of implicit and explicit measures of disgust and threat overestimation to predict contamination aversion and whether this depends on the type of contaminant. Sixty-five participants completed explicit and implicit measures of disgust and threat overestimation, as well as several measures of contamination aversion, including obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and contamination fear and avoidance of contaminants directly associated with disease (direct contaminants) and harmful substances (harm contaminants). It was found that both explicit disgust and explicit threat overestimation predicted contamination-fear obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Explicit disgust predicted contamination fear and avoidance of direct contaminants, whereas explicit threat overestimation predicted contamination fear and avoidance of harm contaminants. The involvement of implicit processes was weak, with some suggestion of difficulty disengaging predicting avoidance of contaminants. Implications for understanding dysfunctional contamination aversion are discussed.
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40
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Olatunji BO, Berg H, Cox RC, Billingsley A. The effects of cognitive reappraisal on conditioned disgust in contamination-based OCD: An analogue study. J Anxiety Disord 2017; 51:86-93. [PMID: 28705679 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Experimental research has shown that conditioned disgust is resistant to extinction, which may account for the slower habituation to disgust relative to fear in contamination-based obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, few studies have examined the efficacy of interventions that may attenuate conditioned disgust responses. Studies of cognitive reappraisal have demonstrated that reinterpreting a stimulus can alter emotional responding. This technique is based on cognitive theories which suggest that anxiety disorders arise from biased cognitions; therefore, changing a person's thoughts will elicit durable changes in emotional responses. Given the demonstrated effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal, the present study examined whether cognitive reappraisal would attenuate conditioned disgust responses. We conditioned participants high in contamination fear (n=55) using images of neutral food items (conditioned stimuli; CS) paired with videos of individuals vomiting (unconditioned stimuli; US) while we obtained subjective disgust reports. After conditioning, half of the participants were randomly assigned to cognitive reappraisal training aimed at decreasing their emotional response to the US and CS, while the other half received no such training. The findings showed that cognitive reappraisal participants demonstrated a reduction in learned disgust across sessions and further benefited from extinction. These findings suggest that cognitive reappraisal may be an effective strategy for attenuating learned disgust.
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41
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Bhikram T, Abi-Jaoude E, Sandor P. OCD: obsessive-compulsive … disgust? The role of disgust in obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2017; 42:300-306. [PMID: 28375077 PMCID: PMC5573572 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.160079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research has identified the important role of disgust in the symptomatology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Exaggerated and inappropriate disgust reactions may drive some of the symptoms of OCD, and in some cases, may even eclipse feelings of anxiety. This paper reviews behavioural and neuroimaging research that recognizes the prominent role of disgust in contributing to OCD symptoms, especially contamination-based symptoms. We discuss how elevated behavioural and biological markers of disgust reported in OCD populations support the need for alternative clinical treatment strategies and theoretical models of OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Bhikram
- Correspondence to: T. Bhikram, University Health Network, Tourette Syndrome Neurodevelopmental Clinic, 399 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8;
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42
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Olatunji BO, Armstrong T, Elwood L. Is Disgust Proneness Associated With Anxiety and Related Disorders? A Qualitative Review and Meta-Analysis of Group Comparison and Correlational Studies. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691616688879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that disgust may be linked to the etiology of some anxiety-related disorders. The present investigation reviews this literature and employs separate meta-analyses of clinical group comparison and correlational studies to examine the association between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms. Meta-analysis of 43 group comparison studies revealed those high in anxiety disorder symptoms reported significantly more disgust proneness than those low in anxiety symptoms. Although this effect was not moderated by clinical versus analogue studies or type of disorder, larger group differences were observed for those high in anxiety symptoms associated with contagion concerns compared to those high in anxiety symptoms not associated with contagion concerns. Similarly, meta-analysis of correlational data across 83 samples revealed moderate associations between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms. Moderator analysis revealed that the association between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms was especially robust for anxiety symptoms associated with contagion concerns. After controlling for measures of negative affect, disgust proneness continued to be moderately correlated with anxiety-related disorder symptoms. However, negative affect was no longer significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders when controlling for disgust proneness. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of a novel transdiagnostic model.
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43
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Berlin HA, Stern ER, Ng J, Zhang S, Rosenthal D, Turetzky R, Tang C, Goodman W. Altered olfactory processing and increased insula activity in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: An fMRI study. Psychiatry Res 2017; 262:15-24. [PMID: 28208068 PMCID: PMC5373557 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients show increased insula activation to disgust-inducing images compared to healthy controls (HC). We explored whether this disgust reactivity was also present in the olfactory domain by conducting the first fMRI study of olfaction in OCD. Neural activation in response to pleasant and unpleasant odors (vs. unscented air) was investigated in 15 OCD and 15 HC participants using fMRI. OCD participants (vs. HC) had increased left anterior insula activation to unpleasant odors (vs. unscented air), which positively correlated with their disgust sensitivity and ratings of the unpleasantness and intensity of those odors. OCD participants (vs. HC) showed increased activation of caudate nucleus and left anterior and posterior insula to pleasant odors (vs. unscented air), which positively correlated with their OCD symptom severity, trait anxiety, frequency of feeling disgust, and odor intensity ratings. OCD participants had increased anterior insula activation to both pleasant and unpleasant odors, which correlated with their OCD symptoms, anxiety, disgust sensitivity, and frequency of feeling disgust. OCD patients might have a negative cognitive bias and experience all stimuli, regardless of valence, as being more unpleasant than healthy people. These findings further elucidate the neural underpinnings of OCD and may contribute to more effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather A Berlin
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Emily R Stern
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Johnny Ng
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sam Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Rosenthal
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Turetzky
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Cheuk Tang
- Department of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Wayne Goodman
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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44
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Armstrong T, Olatunji BO. Pavlovian disgust conditioning as a model for contamination-based OCD: Evidence from an analogue study. Behav Res Ther 2017; 93:78-87. [PMID: 28391115 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Pavlovian fear conditioning provides a model for anxiety-related disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, disgust is the predominant emotional response to contamination, which is a common theme in OCD. The present study sought to identify disgust conditioning abnormalities that may underlie excessive contamination concerns relevant to OCD. Individuals high and low in contamination concern (HCC, n = 32; LCC, n = 30) completed an associative learning task in which one neutral face (conditioned stimulus; CS+) was followed by a disgusting image (unconditioned stimulus; US) and another neutral face (CS-) was unreinforced. Following this acquisition procedure, there was an extinction procedure in which both CSs were presented unreinforced. The groups did not show significant differences in discriminant responding to the CSs following acquisition. However, following extinction, the HCC group reported less reduction in their expectancy of the US following the CS+, and also reported greater disgust to the CS+, compared to the LCC group. Increased disgust to the CS+ following both acquisition and extinction was correlated with increased symptoms of contamination-based OCD and increased disgust sensitivity. Additionally, disgust sensitivity mediated group differences in disgust responding to the CS+ at acquisition and extinction. Also, failure to adjust US expectancy in response to extinction partially mediated group differences in disgust to the CS+ following extinction. Together, these findings suggest that excessive contamination concerns observed in OCD may be related to difficulty inhibiting acquired disgust, possibly due to elevated disgust sensitivity that characterizes the disorder.
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45
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Melli G, Chiorri C, Stopani E, Bulli F, Carraresi C. Development and validation of a new Italian short measure of disgust propensity: The Disgust Propensity Questionnaire (DPQ). Clin Psychol Psychother 2017; 24:1189-1204. [DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Melli
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO); Florence Italy
- University of Pisa; Pisa Italy
| | | | - Eleonora Stopani
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO); Florence Italy
| | - Francesco Bulli
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO); Florence Italy
| | - Claudia Carraresi
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO); Florence Italy
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46
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Melli G, Bulli F, Carraresi C, Tarantino F, Gelli S, Poli A. The differential relationship between mental contamination and the core dimensions of contact contamination fear. J Anxiety Disord 2017; 45:9-16. [PMID: 27886574 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Two types of contamination fear are recognized: contact and mental contamination. Contact contamination appears to be motivated both by harm avoidance and disgust avoidance. This study aimed to examine the relationships between disgust propensity, mental contamination and contact contamination while differentiating between harm avoidance and disgust avoidance in contact contamination. 169 OCD patients completed a set of questionnaires assessing mental contamination, contact contamination, disgust propensity, OCD, anxiety and depression. 1) Contact contamination based on disgust avoidance was more strongly associated with mental contamination and disgust propensity than contact contamination based on harm avoidance; 2) mental contamination significantly predicted contact contamination based on disgust avoidance, while it did not predict contact contamination based on harm avoidance; 3) mental contamination had a significant mediational role in the relationship between disgust propensity and contact contamination motivated by disgust avoidance. Mental contamination plays a role in contact contamination fear when disgust is primarily experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Melli
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO), Italy; University of Pisa, Italy.
| | - Francesco Bulli
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO), Italy
| | - Claudia Carraresi
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO), Italy
| | | | - Simona Gelli
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO), Italy
| | - Andrea Poli
- Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology and Psychotherapy of Florence (IPSICO), Italy
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Knowles KA, Viar-Paxton MA, Riemann BC, Jacobi DM, Olatunji BO. Is disgust proneness sensitive to treatment for OCD among youth?: Examination of diagnostic specificity and symptom correlates. J Anxiety Disord 2016; 44:47-54. [PMID: 27744071 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Although disgust proneness has been implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there is a paucity of research examining change in disgust proneness during treatment as well as the correlates of such change, especially in children. This study examined the relationship between changes in disgust proneness and disorder-specific symptoms during residential treatment among youth with OCD, anxiety, and mood disorders. Youth ages 12-18 (n=472) completed pre- and post-outcome measures of OCD, anxiety, and mood symptoms and disgust proneness. Results indicate that although disgust proneness decreases during treatment for youth with OCD, anxiety, and mood disorders, youth with primary OCD experienced the greatest decrease in disgust proneness over the course of treatment. Reductions in disgust proneness during treatment were significantly correlated with reductions in multiple symptom measures, with the strongest correlations between reductions in disgust proneness and OCD symptoms. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A Knowles
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Rogers Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc, WI, USA
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Haberkamp A, Glombiewski JA, Schmidt F, Barke A. The DIsgust-RelaTed-Images (DIRTI) database: Validation of a novel standardized set of disgust pictures. Behav Res Ther 2016; 89:86-94. [PMID: 27914317 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2016.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Selecting appropriate stimuli is a major challenge of affective research. Although several standardized databases for affective pictures exist, none of them focus on discrete emotions such as disgust. Validated pictures inducing discrete emotions are still limited, and this presents a problem for researchers interested in studying different facets of disgust. In this paper, we introduce the DIsgust-RelaTed-Images (DIRTI) picture set. The set consists of 240 disgust-inducing pictures divided into six categories (food, animals, body products, injuries/infections, death, and hygiene). Additionally, we included 60 matched neutral pictures (10 per category). All pictures were rated by 200 participants on nine-point rating scales measuring disgust, fear, valence, and arousal. The present validation study covered a wide age range (18-75 years) with a balanced number of participants in each decade of life. For each picture, we provide separate ratings on the four scales for men and women. In addition to the original pictures, we also provide a luminance-matched version for experiments that require control of the physical properties of the pictures. The standardized DIRTI picture set allows researchers to chose from a wide set of disgust-inducing pictures and may enhance researchers' ability to draw comparisons between studies on disgust. (Download DIRTI picture set: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.167037).
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Imaizumi S, Furuno M, Hibino H, Koyama S. Trypophobia is predicted by disgust sensitivity, empathic traits, and visual discomfort. SPRINGERPLUS 2016; 5:1449. [PMID: 27652025 PMCID: PMC5005243 DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-3149-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Trypophobia refers to disgust for a cluster of objects, and is considered an extension of disgust for dangerous objects. Furthermore, trypophobic images possess certain spatial properties that can induce perceptually unpleasant states (i.e., visual discomfort). We examined whether trypophobia is associated with disgust sensitivity, empathic traits, and visual discomfort. Japanese adults (n = 126) completed four scales: the Trypophobia Questionnaire, which measures trypophobia proneness; the Disgust Scale-Revised, which measures disgust sensitivity; the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which measures empathic traits; and the Visual Discomfort Scale, which measures proneness to visual discomfort. Trypophobia proneness was found to be predicted by Core disgust sensitivity (i.e., threat of disease), Personal Distress (i.e., the empathic trait of self-oriented emotional distress), and proneness to visual discomfort. We suggest a number of potential factors relating to individual differences in trypophobia and the possible cognitive and perceptual mechanisms underlying trypophobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Imaizumi
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902 Japan ; Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba, 263-8522 Japan ; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 102-0083 Japan
| | - Manami Furuno
- Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba, 263-8522 Japan
| | - Haruo Hibino
- Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba, 263-8522 Japan
| | - Shinichi Koyama
- Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba, 263-8522 Japan
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50
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Summers BJ, Sarawgi S, Fitch KE, Dillon KH, Cougle JR. Six In Vivo Assessments of Compulsive Behavior: A Validation Study Using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised. Assessment 2016; 25:483-497. [PMID: 27305930 DOI: 10.1177/1073191116654759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), movement toward multimodal assessment has become necessary to more precisely understand the nature of the disorder and interrelations between symptom clusters. Thus, the present study utilized large undergraduate samples (total N = 800) to test the validity of six in vivo assessments of OC symptoms (i.e., one ordering/arranging task, two contamination fear/washing tasks, and three checking tasks). Associations between task-specific variables and self-reported symptom scores (as measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised [OCI-R]) were examined. The majority of the in vivo task variables (those presented in Studies 1-4) exhibited significant relationships with the corresponding OCI-R symptom subscale (i.e., ordering, washing, checking). However, many of the task variables demonstrated relationships with other OCI-R symptom subscales, as well. Some evidence for discriminant validity was found, as task variables were generally unrelated to past-week symptoms of depression or anxiety. While continued research is necessary to further establish the validity and utility of the tasks discussed in the current article, findings have implications for improving future empirical examination of OC symptoms.
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