Disgust Imagery in Contamination-Related Symptoms in a non-Clinical Sample

Abstract

Disgust is one of the emotions underlying Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, particularly washing rituals. This pilot study explored the role of disgust imagery and self-compassion above and beyond established predictors [disgust propensity (DP) and obsessive beliefs] in predicting washing symptoms cross-sectionally. Non-clinical university students ( n = 197) completed online self-report questionnaires on disgust imagery (newly constructed for this study), obsessive-compulsive symptoms, DP, obsessive beliefs and self-compassion. The majority of the sample ( n = 180) reported disgust imagery. The new Disgust Imagery Scale demonstrated promising psychometric properties. The preliminary finding suggested that the severity of disgust imagery in addition to the propensity for misappraisals and disgust experience may be related to the severity of washing symptoms, but self-compassion was non-significant. The cultural, research and clinical implications are discussed. The use of a non-clinical student sample and cross-sectional analyses precluded causal claims and generalization of findings to clinical samples.