(PS7-5) Beyond Contamination: Disgust Traits and Their Relationship Across Obsessive-compulsive Symptom Dimensions

Abstract Text: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by distinct symptom dimensions, with contamination concerns affecting ~50% of diagnosed individuals (Mataix-Cols et al., 2002). On clear conceptual grounds, traditional models emphasize the role of disgust in contamination-related obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms (Olatunji et al., 2004; Thorpe et al., 2003). Disgust comprises two distinct facets: disgust propensity (DP; tendency/likelihood to experience disgust across situations) and disgust sensitivity (DS; the intensity of disgust experiences and their negative evaluation) (van Overveld et al., 2006). Although numerous studies have examined the relationship between these disgust facets and contamination concerns, their associations with other OC symptom dimensions remain relatively unexplored. The present study aims to challenge this narrow conceptualization of disgust as primarily relevant to contamination-related OC symptoms. Specifically, we investigate whether DP and DS demonstrate specificity to contamination symptoms or exhibit broader relationships across OC symptom dimensions, including harm, unacceptable thoughts, and symmetry concerns.

A racially/ethnically diverse sample of undergraduates (N = 115) completed the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-Revised (DPSS-R; Fergus & Valentiner, 2009) and the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS; Abramowitz et al., 2010). The primary variables of interest were the DPSS-R subscales (Disgust Propensity and Disgust Sensitivity) and all four DOCS subscales (Contamination, Harm, Unacceptable Thoughts, and Symmetry).

Zero-order correlations were calculated between disgust traits and all DOCS subscales. Contrary to theoretical models predicting stronger associations with contamination symptoms, both DP and DS showed comparable correlations across all OC symptom dimensions (DP: rs = .41 to .51; DS: rs = .38 to .52). Notably, DOCS-Harm showed numerically stronger correlations with both DP (r = .51, p < .01) and DS (r = .52, p < .01) than did DOCS-Contamination (DP: r = .41, p < .01; DS: r = .38, p < .01). Using Meng et al. (1992) to test for statistically significant differences between pairs of correlated correlations, no significant differences were found between contamination symptoms and other symptom dimensions (all ps > .05).

These findings challenge traditional conceptualizations that yoke disgust specifically to contamination-related OC symptoms, suggesting instead that disgust traits may play a broader role across various OC symptom dimensions. The numerically stronger associations between disgust traits and harm-related symptoms indicate that disgust’s influence may extend beyond the contamination domain traditionally emphasized in the literature. These results have important implications as clinicians may benefit from considering disgust-based mechanisms when addressing various OC symptom dimensions, not only contamination concerns. Future research should aim to replicate these findings in analogue and clinical samples, employ longitudinal designs to examine causal relationships, and investigate whether addressing disgust traits could enhance outcomes across diverse OC symptom profiles.