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Olatunji BO, Kim J. Examining reciprocal relations between disgust proneness and OCD symptoms: A four-wave longitudinal study. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2024; 82:101907. [PMID: 37690887 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101907] [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: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although disgust proneness has been implicated in the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), available studies have largely employed cross-sectional designs and the prospective and potentially reciprocal association between disgust proneness and OCD symptoms remains unclear. The present study employs cross lagged panel analysis to examine the prospective and reciprocal association between disgust proneness and OCD symptoms. METHOD A community sample of adults (N = 307) completed symptom measures of disgust proneness and OCD symptoms at four time points with 1 month intervals. RESULTS The results showed that the cross-lagged paths from disgust proneness to OCD symptoms were significant (average β = 0.07, p's < 0.001) when controlling for depression. However, the paths from total OCD symptoms to disgust proneness were not significant. In contrast, the cross-lagged paths from disgust proneness to washing OCD symptoms were not significant. However, the paths from washing OCD symptoms to disgust proneness were significant (average β = 0.05, p's < 0.01) when controlling for depression. LIMITATIONS The study is limited is limited by exclusive reliance on self-report in a nonclinical sample. CONCLUSIONS The findings offer preliminary evidence suggesting that disgust proneness may be a cause and consequence of OCD depending on the nature of the symptoms. Thus, the longitudinal relation between disgust proneness and OCD may be transactional where one influences the effect of the other.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jingu Kim
- Busan National University of Education, South Korea; Radboud University, the Netherlands.
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2
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Moran T, Eyal T. Are Members of Political Out-Groups More Morally or Physically Disgusting? PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2023:1461672231213127. [PMID: 38095028 DOI: 10.1177/01461672231213127] [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: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Recent research has found that Americans are disgusted by anonymous members of their political out-group. Determining whether the disgust elicited by political out-group members is more physical or moral may contribute to the understating of what enables its elicitation and regulation. Building on research showing the experience of moral disgust involves relatively abstract construal and the experience of physical disgust involves relatively concrete construal, we predicted that disgust experienced toward political out-group members is more moral than physical. Two preregistered experiments (total N=854) found that (a) the effect of level of construal on the intensity of disgust from political out-group members is more similar to the effect of level of construal on moral disgust than on physical disgust, and (b) the appraisal underlying disgust from political out-group members involves more abstract than concrete construal, similar to moral disgust. We discuss implications of these findings for intergroup relations and emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Moran
- The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, Israel
| | - Tal Eyal
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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3
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Makhanova A, Lambert WA, Blanchard R, Alcock J, Shattuck EC, Wilson MP. Pathogen disgust is associated with interpersonal bias among healthcare professionals. Evol Med Public Health 2023; 11:438-447. [PMID: 38022797 PMCID: PMC10667654 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and objectives Pathogen avoidance is a fundamental motive that shapes many aspects of human behavior including bias against groups stereotypically linked to disease (e.g. immigrants, outgroup members). This link has only been examined in convenience samples and it is unknown how pathogen avoidance processes operate in populations experiencing prolonged and heightened pathogen threat such as healthcare professionals. We examined whether healthcare professionals demonstrate the same link between pathogen disgust and intergroup bias as has been documented among the general population. Methodology Participants (N = 317; 210 healthcare professionals) were recruited using snowball sampling to take an online survey. Participants completed the Three Domain Disgust Scale to assess pathogen, sexual and moral disgust. Participants then rated their perceptions of a fictitious immigrant group ('Krasneeans') and the degree to which they endorsed group-binding moral values. Results Compared to control participants, healthcare professionals reported lower levels of pathogen disgust, but not sexual or moral disgust. However, regardless of profession, higher pathogen disgust was associated with viewing Krasneeans as less likeable and more unclean. Additionally, regardless of profession, higher pathogen disgust was associated with greater endorsement of group-binding moral values, although healthcare professionals reported greater overall endorsement of group-binding moral values than did control participants. Conclusions and implications Although healthcare professionals demonstrated lower levels of pathogen disgust, they nevertheless exhibited largely the same relationship between pathogen disgust and interpersonal biases as did control participants. One practical implication of this association is that pathogen avoidance motives may contribute to inequitable patient treatment in healthcare settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Makhanova
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - W Allen Lambert
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Ryan Blanchard
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Joe Alcock
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131, USA
| | - Eric C Shattuck
- Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, 60 N Woodward Ave, Tallahassee FL 32304, USA
- Institute for Health Disparities Research, College for Health, Community, and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Michael P Wilson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
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4
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How much are they predictive for obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions: beliefs, emotions, emotional schemas? CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03969-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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5
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Enea V, Candel OS, Zancu SA, Maftei A, Bîrlădeanu L, Timofte D. Death Obsession, COVID-19-Related Fear and Religiosity in People Living with Type 2 Diabetes. OMEGA-JOURNAL OF DEATH AND DYING 2022:302228221085402. [PMID: 35441558 PMCID: PMC9023313 DOI: 10.1177/00302228221085402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were included among high-risk groups for more severe manifestations in case of COVID-19 infection and higher risk of mortality. The current study aims to (1) examine the relationship between death obsession, religiosity, and fear of COVID-19 among type 2 diabetes patients, and (2) assess if religiosity moderates the relationship between death obsession and fear of COVID-19. This cross-sectional online survey involved 306 type 2 diabetes patients. We found that 35.6 % of the participants were overweight and 14.6 % were suffering from obesity. Results showed that death obsession was positively associated with fear of COVID-19 and more religious individuals experience higher levels of fear. The overall level of religiosity did not moderate the relationship between death obsession and fear of COVID-19 but only the preoccupation with God dimension of the religiosity scale. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Enea
- Department of Psychology,
Alexandru
Ioan Cuza University, Iasi,
Romania
| | | | | | - Alexandra Maftei
- Department of Psychology,
Alexandru
Ioan Cuza University, Iasi,
Romania
| | - Livia Bîrlădeanu
- Department of Psychology,
Alexandru
Ioan Cuza University, Iasi,
Romania
| | - Daniel Timofte
- Grigore T Popa University of Medicine and
Pharmacy Iasi, Romania
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6
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Georgiadis C, Schreck M, Gervasio M, Kemp J, Freeman J, Garcia A, Case B. Disgust propensity and sensitivity in childhood anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder: Two constructs differentially related to obsessional content. J Anxiety Disord 2020; 76:102294. [PMID: 32916505 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The role of disgust in anxiety and related disorders has been extensively studied in adults, however its role in childhood psychopathology is in need of further investigation. The adult literature has suggested that two distinct sub-constructs within "disgust proneness" may differentially predict anxiety-related disorders. Namely, disgust propensity (DP) has been defined as the likelihood an individual will experience a disgust reaction, and disgust sensitivity (DS) as the degree to which an individual is distressed by their experience of disgust. The current study aimed to validate the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-Revised (DPSS-R) in a sample of youth receiving intensive services for OCD and anxiety, examine the relationship between disgust sub-constructs and obsessional content in a sample of youth with OCD, and examine the relationship between disgust change and symptom severity at discharge. A confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure of the DPSS-R. DP was found to be uniquely predictive of contamination obsessions, and DS was found to be uniquely predictive of moral obsessions. Lastly, change in DP, but not DS, predicted overall change in OCD symptom severity. The present study provides a valid measure of DS and DP in youth with anxiety and related disorders, and suggests that subconstructs of disgust may serve as distinct risk factors for obsessional content in youth with OCD. Future research should examine the predictive validity of DP and DS longitudinally, as well as examine effective ways to more effectively target DP with exposure therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meghan Schreck
- McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maddi Gervasio
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Bradley Hospital, USA
| | - Joshua Kemp
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Bradley Hospital, USA
| | - Jennifer Freeman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Bradley Hospital, USA
| | - Abbe Garcia
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Bradley Hospital, USA
| | - Brady Case
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Pediatric Anxiety Research Center, Bradley Hospital, USA
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7
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Mentser S, Nussinson R. We're not of the same feather: Disgust sensitivity and reduced perceived similarity to unknown others. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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8
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Stewart PA, Adams TG, Senior C. The Effect of Trait and State Disgust on Fear of God and Sin. Front Psychol 2020; 11:51. [PMID: 32063875 PMCID: PMC7000625 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing literature suggesting disgust plays a major role in religiosity. However, the relationships between specific domains of disgust sensitivity and general religious fundamentalism or religious scrupulosity remains unknown and a lack of experimental data prevents the drawing of causal inferences about the potential effects of disgust on religiosity. Two studies are reported that examined the relationship between specific types of disgust sensitivity (i.e., pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust) and specific religious beliefs (i.e., fear of sin and fear of God). In the first study it was found that sexual disgust and pathogen disgust were significantly correlated with fear of sin and fear of God, respectively. In the second study the experimental induction of disgust led to greater fear of sin but not to the fear of God. These findings suggest that pathogen and sexual disgust sensitivities may serve as effective mechanisms for inflated scrupulosity. Taken together the outcomes from both studies converge on a greater understanding of the ‘Human Behavioral Immune System’ model that can account for social behavior with the evolution of adaptive benefit and perhaps more importantly highlights the possible drivers of specific religious behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A Stewart
- Department of Political Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Thomas G Adams
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Carl Senior
- School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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9
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Ojserkis R, McKay D, Kim SK. Obsessive-compulsive symptom profiles in individuals exposed to interpersonal versus noninterpersonal trauma. Bull Menninger Clin 2020; 84:53-78. [PMID: 31967510 DOI: 10.1521/bumc_2020_84_04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms have been associated with trauma exposure. Although no studies have specified relations between type of trauma and OC symptom presentations, this information may inform personalized care for this complex population. Thus, this study used profile analysis via multidimensional scaling to characterize typical OC symptom profiles in individuals exposed to interpersonal versus noninterpersonal traumas. Profiles were also correlated with self-reported disgust and mental contamination, which have been related to OC symptoms and interpersonal trauma in prior research. The interpersonal trauma group revealed two profiles: (1) Obsessing (high obsessing, low neutralizing), and (2) Ordering (high ordering, low obsessing). The noninterpersonal trauma group showed two profiles: (1) Hoarding/Ordering (high hoarding and ordering, low washing), and (2) Hoarding Only (high hoarding, low ordering). No significant correlations were found between OC profiles and disgust-related constructs. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Ojserkis
- Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, and a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Dean McKay
- Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, Bronx, New York
| | - Se-Kang Kim
- Associate Professor of Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology at Fordham University, Bronx, New York
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10
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Kollareth D, Allam A, Russell JA. On Judging the Immorality of Someone Having Taken His or Her Own Life. SOCIAL COGNITION 2019. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2019.37.6.547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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11
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Hamerman EJ, Schneider AB, Rozensher SG. Disgust sensitivity and kosher food preferences among the non-Jewish population in the US. Appetite 2019; 143:104413. [PMID: 31445051 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
About $200 billion of kosher-certified foods are purchased each year in the US, and companies can pay up to $100,000 to private agencies to certify that their products meet kosher standards. Although kosher certification is ostensibly for the purpose of Jewish religious observance, the vast majority of people who buy kosher food are not Jewish. In this study, we examine the psychological drivers of these purchases among people who are not Jewish. Our study found that people with high levels of contamination disgust sensitivity were more likely to prefer kosher food, which is often marketed in a manner that implies that it has fewer contaminants. The effect of contamination disgust sensitivity on preference for kosher food was partially mediated by perceptions that kosher food rated highly on dimensions related to oral disgust (food rejection) rather than on dimensions related to moral disgust. Moderated mediation was significant for the factor of subjective knowledge, such that the mediation effect only occurred among participants who reported high levels of knowledge about kosher food. Strength of religious affiliation was a marginally significant covariate, as people who reported high levels of affiliation with organized religion had a greater preference for kosher food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Hamerman
- LaPenta School of Business, Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY, 10801, USA.
| | - Abigail B Schneider
- Anderson College of Business, Regis University, 3333 Regis Boulevard, Denver, CO, 80221, USA.
| | - Susan G Rozensher
- LaPenta School of Business, Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY, 10801, USA.
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12
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Nussinson R, Mentser S, Rosenberg N. Sensitivity to Deviance and to Dissimilarity: Basic Cognitive Processes Under Activation of the Behavioral Immune System. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 16:1474704918813433. [PMID: 30486673 PMCID: PMC10480945 DOI: 10.1177/1474704918813433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout evolutionary history, pathogens have imposed strong selection pressures on humans. To minimize humans' exposure to pathogens, a behavioral immune system that promotes the detection and avoidance of disease-connoting cues has evolved. Although most pathogens cannot be discerned by our sensory organs, they produce discernable changes in their environment. As a result, a common denominator of many disease-connoting cues is morphological deviance-figurative disparity from what is normal, visual dissimilarity to the prototype stored in memory. Drawing on an evolutionary rationale, we examine the hypothesis that activation of the behavioral immune system renders people more sensitive to morphological deviance and more prone to perceive dissimilarities between stimuli. In Study 1 ( N = 343), participants who scored higher on disgust sensitivity demonstrated greater differentiation between normal and disfigured faces, reflecting greater sensitivity to morphological deviance in the bodily domain. In Study 2 ( N = 109), participants who were primed with pathogen threat demonstrated greater differentiation between perfect and imperfect geometrical shapes, reflecting greater sensitivity to morphological deviance even in stimuli that have nothing to do with health or disease. In Study 3 ( N = 621), participants who scored higher on disgust sensitivity perceived pairs of neutral pictures as less similar (i.e., more dissimilar) to each other. Literature on the relations to social deviance and implications for social perception and for social behavior is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravit Nussinson
- The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel
- University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Nurit Rosenberg
- The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel
- Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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13
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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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Olatunji BO, Ebesutani C, Kim J, Riemann BC, Jacobi DM. Disgust proneness predicts obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom severity in a clinical sample of youth: Distinctions from negative affect. J Affect Disord 2017; 213:118-125. [PMID: 28222359 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although studies have linked disgust proneness to the etiology and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults, there remains a paucity of research examining the specificity of this association among youth. METHOD The present study employed structural equation modeling to examine the association between disgust proneness, negative affect, and OCD symptom severity in a clinical sample of youth admitted to a residential treatment facility (N =471). RESULTS Results indicate that disgust proneness and negative affect latent factors independently predicted an OCD symptom severity latent factor. However, when both variables were modeled as predictors simultaneously, latent disgust proneness remained significantly associated with OCD symptom severity, whereas the association between latent negative affect and OCD symptom severity became nonsignificant. Tests of mediation converged in support of disgust proneness as a significant intervening variable between negative affect and OCD symptom severity. Subsequent analysis showed that the path from disgust proneness to OCD symptom severity in the structural model was significantly stronger among those without a primary diagnosis of OCD compared to those with a primary diagnosis of OCD. LIMITATIONS Given the cross-sectional design, the causal inferences that can be made are limited. The present study is also limited by the exclusive reliance on self-report measures. CONCLUSIONS Disgust proneness may play a uniquely important role in OCD among youth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jingu Kim
- Konkuk University, Republic of Korea
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15
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Olatunji BO, Ebesutani C, Kim EH. Does the measure matter? On the association between disgust proneness and OCD symptoms. J Anxiety Disord 2016; 44:63-72. [PMID: 27776255 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Although some studies suggest that the association between disgust proneness (DP) and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) is specific to the contamination subtype, others suggest that DP is associated with OCS more broadly. To examine if the discrepant findings may partially reflect differences in self-report measures used, this investigation employed structural equation modeling to examine the association between DP and OCS in three samples that completed different combinations of measures of DP, OCS, and anxiety/negative affect. In Study 1 (n=626), the path from DP to contamination-based OCS was significantly stronger than the path from DP to non-contamination OCS when controlling for anxiety sensitivity. In Study 2 (n=403), the results showed that the path from DP to contamination-based OCS did not significantly differ from the path from DP to non-contamination OCS when controlling for negative affect. Lastly, Study 3 (n=296) showed that the path from DP to contamination-based OCS was significantly weaker than the path from DP to non-contamination OCS. These findings highlight that the self-report measures employed is an important moderator when making inferences about the association between DP and contamination-based OCS and non-contamination OCS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eun Ha Kim
- VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, United States
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16
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Abstract
This case study outlines the use of graded in-vivo exposure to reduce an aversion to cockroaches in an older male. Following assessment, seven therapy sessions of in-vivo exposure were conducted where the client was progressively brought into closer and closer contact with cockroaches. A decrease in the client's aversion to cockroaches was apparent at posttreatment and persisted to 5-month follow-up, as evidenced by client reports and decreased behavioral avoidance. The client maintained that his avoidance had been driven by disgust, rather than fear, and the reduction of his avoidance of and aversion to cockroaches indicates that approaches developed for fearful clients may also be effective for clients who do not report fear responses to their avoided stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Berle
- Nepean Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Sydney West Area Health
Service
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17
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Murray DR, Schaller M. The Behavioral Immune System. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aesp.2015.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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18
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Ludvik D, Boschen MJ, Neumann DL. Effective behavioural strategies for reducing disgust in contamination-related OCD: A review. Clin Psychol Rev 2015; 42:116-29. [PMID: 26190372 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Disgust is an understudied but important emotion in various psychological disorders. Over the last decade, increasing evidence suggests that disgust is also present in various subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), especially in contamination-related OCD (C-OCD). The treatment of choice for C-OCD is exposure with response prevention, originally designed to reduce fear-associated emotions thought to be acquired through Pavlovian conditioning (PC). However, disgust has been proposed to be acquired through evaluative conditioning (EC) and according to the referential model of this form of learning, there are functional differences between PC and EC that need to be considered in the treatment of disgust-related responses. Alternative strategies suggested by EC-based models include counterconditioning (contingent presentation of the CS with a US of opposite valence) and US revaluation (contingent presentation of the US with US of opposite valence). Drawing on the referential model, this paper reviews evidence for the effectiveness of each strategy to identify the most theoretically sound and empirically valid intervention to reduce disgust in C-OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Ludvik
- School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast 4222, Australia.
| | - Mark J Boschen
- School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast 4222, Australia.
| | - David L Neumann
- School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast 4222, Australia.
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19
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Data from “Demographic Influences on Disgust: Evidence from A Heterogeneous Sample.". JOURNAL OF OPEN PSYCHOLOGY DATA 2015. [DOI: 10.5334/jopd.ag] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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20
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Abstract
Morality and emotions are linked, but what is the nature of their correspondence? Many “whole number” accounts posit specific correspondences between moral content and discrete emotions, such that harm is linked to anger, and purity is linked to disgust. A review of the literature provides little support for these specific morality–emotion links. Moreover, any apparent specificity may arise from global features shared between morality and emotion, such as affect and conceptual content. These findings are consistent with a constructionist perspective of the mind, which argues against a whole number of discrete and domain-specific mental mechanisms underlying morality and emotion. Instead, constructionism emphasizes the flexible combination of basic and domain-general ingredients such as core affect and conceptualization in creating the experience of moral judgments and discrete emotions. The implications of constructionism in moral psychology are discussed, and we propose an experimental framework for rigorously testing morality–emotion links.
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23
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Whitton AE, Henry JD, Grisham JR. Cognitive and psychophysiological correlates of disgust in obsessive-compulsive disorder. BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2014; 54:16-33. [DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2013] [Revised: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis E. Whitton
- School of Psychology; University of New South Wales; Randwick New South Wales Australia
| | - Julie D. Henry
- School of Psychology; University of Queensland; St Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Jessica R. Grisham
- School of Psychology; University of New South Wales; Randwick New South Wales Australia
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Terrizzi JA, Shook NJ, McDaniel MA. The behavioral immune system and social conservatism: a meta-analysis. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2012.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Hodson G, Choma BL, Boisvert J, Hafer CL, MacInnis CC, Costello K. The role of intergroup disgust in predicting negative outgroup evaluations. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Berle D, Starcevic V, Brakoulias V, Sammut P, Milicevic D, Hannan A, Moses K. Disgust propensity in obsessive-compulsive disorder: cross-sectional and prospective relationships. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2012; 43:656-63. [PMID: 21946297 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2011.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2011] [Revised: 09/01/2011] [Accepted: 09/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Findings from non-clinical samples suggest that disgust propensity is associated with contamination concerns in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, studies of clinical samples have yielded conflicting results. We investigated the relationship between disgust propensity and OCD symptoms in a clinical sample and examined whether changes in disgust propensity are associated with changes in OCD symptoms. METHODS One hundred and nine OCD participants completed measures of disgust propensity and OCD symptoms. Sixty of these underwent a six-month follow-up assessment. RESULTS At the baseline assessment, disgust propensity was associated with all OCD symptom dimensions except hoarding. Changes in overall disgust propensity between baseline and the six-month follow-up assessment were associated with changes in overall self-reported OCD symptoms but not with changes in contamination-based OCD symptoms or changes in interviewer-assessed OCD symptoms. LIMITATIONS There was substantial participant attrition between the baseline and follow-up assessments. CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to investigate prospective relationships between disgust propensity and OCD across a six-month interval. Our findings suggest that if there is an association between changes in disgust propensity and changes in contamination-based OCD symptoms its magnitude is likely to be small.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Berle
- Nepean Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health Network, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
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Rector NA, Daros AR, Bradbury CL, Richter MA. Disgust recognition in obsessive-compulsive disorder: diagnostic comparisons and posttreatment effects. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2012; 57:177-83. [PMID: 22398004 DOI: 10.1177/070674371205700307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine whether disgust recognition deficits are present and specific to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and the extent to which this deficit, if present, can be reduced in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). METHOD Responses to the Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA) were examined in patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, diagnosed OCD (n = 20), panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA; n = 15), and generalized social phobia (GSP; n = 15) and a second, independent OCD sample of treatment responders to CBT (n = 11). RESULTS There were significant and statistically large disgust recognition differences between the OCD group and comparison PDA and GSP groups. However, patients with OCD treated with CBT showed disgust recognition scores that were equivalent to the PDA and GSP groups, significantly better than the untreated OCD sample, and equivalent to scores from the original POFA nonaffected standardization sample. CONCLUSIONS These results provide support for the presence of disgust recognition impairment in OCD, and provide preliminary evidence that disgust recognition impairments may improve with treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil A Rector
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
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Olatunji BO, Ebesutani C, David B, Fan Q, McGrath PB. Disgust proneness and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a clinical sample: structural differentiation from negative affect. J Anxiety Disord 2011; 25:932-8. [PMID: 21696916 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Revised: 03/31/2011] [Accepted: 05/26/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Although a growing body of research has revealed robust associations between disgust and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, there remains a paucity of research examining the specificity of this association in clinical samples. The present study employed structural equation modeling to differentiate disgust from negative affect in the prediction of OCD symptoms in a clinical sample (n=153). Results indicate that disgust and negative affect latent factors were independently related to OCD symptoms. However, when both variables were simultaneously modeled as predictors, latent disgust remained significantly associated with OCD symptoms, whereas the association between latent negative affect and OCD symptoms became nonsignificant. Multiple statistical tests of mediation converged in support of disgust as a significant intervening variable between negative affect and OCD symptoms. The implications of these findings for further delineating the role of individual differences in disgust proneness in the development of OCD are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
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Rosmarin DH, Pirutinsky S, Siev J. Recognition of Scrupulosity and Non-Religious OCD by Orthodox and Non-Orthodox Jews. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1521/jscp.2010.29.8.930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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30
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Terrizzi JA, Shook NJ, Ventis WL. Disgust: A predictor of social conservatism and prejudicial attitudes toward homosexuals. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Olatunji BO, Cisler J, McKay D, Phillips ML. Is disgust associated with psychopathology? Emerging research in the anxiety disorders. Psychiatry Res 2010; 175:1-10. [PMID: 19969378 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2009.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2008] [Revised: 03/25/2009] [Accepted: 04/15/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that the propensity towards experiencing disgust may contribute to the development and maintenance of some anxiety disorders. This article summarizes the empirical evidence with emphasis on illuminating potential mediators, moderators, and mechanisms of the disgust-anxiety disorder association that may inform the development of an integrative conceptual model. Early research using neuroimaging methods suggest that disgust processing is associated with activation of the insula. This research has the potential to facilitate progress in developing an empirically informed psychobiological theory on the causal role of disgust in the anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Wilson Hall, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
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Muris P, van der Heiden S, Rassin E. Disgust sensitivity and psychopathological symptoms in non-clinical children. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2008; 39:133-46. [PMID: 17433251 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2007.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/13/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
There is clear evidence in the adult literature that disgust sensitivity is implicated in various psychopathological syndromes. The current study examined the link between disgust sensitivity and psychopathological symptoms in youths. In a sample of non-clinical children aged 9-13 years, disgust sensitivity was assessed by two self-report questionnaires (i.e., the Disgust Scale and the Disgust Sensitivity Questionnaire) and a behavioural test. Furthermore, children completed scales for measuring the personality trait of neuroticism and various types of psychopathological symptoms. Results showed that disgust measures had sufficient to good convergent validity. Further, significant positive correlations were found between disgust sensitivity and symptoms of specific phobias (i.e., spider phobia, blood-injection phobia, small-animal phobia), social phobia, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and eating problems, and these links were not attenuated when controlling for neuroticism. The possible role of disgust sensitivity in the aetiology of child psychopathology is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Muris
- Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Suite T13-37, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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Olatunji BO, Abramowitz JS, Williams NL, Connolly KM, Lohr JM. Scrupulosity and obsessive-compulsive symptoms: confirmatory factor analysis and validity of the Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity. J Anxiety Disord 2007; 21:771-87. [PMID: 17250990 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2006] [Revised: 12/01/2006] [Accepted: 12/14/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined scrupulosity in 352 unselected college students as measured by the 19-item Penn Inventory of Scrupulosity (PIOS). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded support for a two-factor model of the 19-item PIOS. However, item-level analyses provided preliminary support for the validity of a 15-item PIOS (PIOS-R) secondary to the removal of items 2, 6, 15, and 10. The two domains of scrupulosity identified on the PIOS-R consisted of the Fear of Sin and the Fear of God. Both domains and total scrupulosity scores were strongly related to obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Scrupulosity also showed significant, but more modest correlations with a broad range of other measures of psychopathology symptoms (i.e., state anxiety, trait anxiety, negative affect, disgust sensitivity, specific fears). However, only obsessive-compulsive symptoms and trait anxiety contributed unique variance to the prediction of scrupulosity. Examination of specific obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions revealed that only obsessions contributed unique positive variance to the prediction of Fear of God. However, OCD obsessions, washing, and hoarding symptoms contributed unique positive variance to the prediction of Fear of Sin. These findings are interpreted in the context of future research elucidating the relationship between scrupulosity and obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
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Olatunji BO, Williams NL, Lohr JM, Connolly KM, Cisler J, Meunier SA. Structural differentiation of disgust from trait anxiety in the prediction of specific anxiety disorder symptoms. Behav Res Ther 2007; 45:3002-17. [PMID: 17888397 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2007.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2006] [Revised: 08/09/2007] [Accepted: 08/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Research has begun to implicate the role of disgust in the etiology of specific phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, it remains unclear if the association between disgust and specific anxiety disorder symptoms is an artifact of trait anxiety or a potential mechanism through which trait anxiety effects specific anxiety disorder symptoms. The present study employed structural equation modeling to differentiate disgust from trait anxiety in the prediction of four types of specific anxiety disorder symptoms in a non-clinical sample (N=352). Results indicate that disgust and trait anxiety latent factors were independently related to spider fears, blood-injection-injury (BII) fears, general OCD symptoms, and OCD washing concerns. However, when both variables were simultaneously modeled as predictors, latent disgust remained significantly associated with the anxiety disorder symptoms, whereas the association between latent trait anxiety and the anxiety disorder symptoms became non-significant or was substantially reduced. Statistical tests of intervening variable effects converged in support of disgust as a significant intervening variable between trait anxiety and spider fears, BII fears, and OCD symptoms (particularly washing concerns). The relevance of these findings for future research investigating the role of disgust in specific anxiety disorders is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
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Sensitivity to disgust, stigma, and adjustment to life with a colostomy. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2007; 41:787-803. [PMID: 17940585 DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2006.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
We examined whether trait disgust sensitivity predicts well-being in colostomy patients, and whether disgust predicts stigmatizing attitudes about colostomy in non-patients. 195 patients with a colostomy returned a mailed survey including measures of disgust sensitivity, life satisfaction, mood, and feelings of being stigmatized. We also conducted an internet-survey of a non-patient sample (n = 523). In the patient sample, we observed negative correlations between a bowel-specific measure of disgust sensitivity and life satisfaction (r = -.34, p<.01), and colostomy adjustment ( r = -.42, p<.01), and a positive correlation with feeling stigmatized because of the colostomy (r = .54, p<.01). Correlations between a general trait disgust measure and these outcomes were more modest. A structural equation model indicated that colostomy patients who had high disgust sensitivity felt more stigmatized, and this was in turn strongly related to lower life satisfaction. Concordantly, in the non-patient sample we observed that disgust sensitivity was a significant, positive predictor of wanting less contact with colostomy patients (r = .22, p < .01).
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