Disgust and psychopathological symptoms in a nonclinical sample

There is little doubt that disgust sensitivity plays a role in the development of small animal phobias. However, it has been suggested that the basic emotion of disgust is implied in a broad range of psychopathological conditions. The present study examined the relationship between disgust sensitivity and symptoms of phobias (other than animal phobias), obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and eating disorder in a nonclinical sample. Undergraduate psychology students were asked to complete the Disgust Sensitivity Questionnaire, as well as measures of phobic (Fear Questionnaire), obsessive-compulsive (Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory), depressive (Beck Depression Inventory), and eating disorder (Restraint Scale) symptomatology. Results showed that disgust sensitivity was only related to symptoms of agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The present findings cast doubts on the idea that disgust sensitivity is a central factor underlying a broad range of psychopathological conditions.