Obsessional contents, fear of illness and disgust

Abstract

Recently, studies on the associations between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the emotion of disgust have shown some inconsistencies, which might be due to the differential role of disgust propensity and sensitivity, the influence of other variables, or the heterogeneity of OCD contents. This study examines the relationships among disgust propensity and sensitivity, fear of illness, and different OCD contents in university students (N = 114). Disgust propensity was the most relevant variable in predicting Doubt/checking contents (19% of explained variance - EV), and fear of illness and disgust sensitivity were the most relevant variables predicting Contamination (EV: 21% and 8%, respectively), and Superstitious contents (EV: 21% and 24%, respectively). Results suggest the need to consider the disgust and fear of illness dimensions in the conceptualization, assessment and treatment programs of OCD.