Cognitive vulnerability to disgust: Development and validation of the Looming of Disgust Questionnaire

Abstract

Disgust sensitivity has been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of specific anxiety disorders. One possible pathway through which fear and disgust contribute to anxiety disorders is through a common cognitive emphasis on appraisals involving the threat of contamination. Such appraisals are reflected in improbable beliefs about the transmission of contagion and perceptions of potential threat as escalating in risk or danger. The present study investigates a newly developed measure of cognitive biases in disgust, the Looming of Disgust Questionnaire (LODQ). Results from a sample of 583 undergraduate students provide evidence for the factor structure, internal consistency, and validity of the LODQ. Specifically, LODQ scores demonstrated the ability to discriminate between a subclinical sample of contamination-related obsessive-compulsive disorders, socially anxious participants, and non-anxious controls. The LODQ appears to be a promising new instrument for the assessment of cognitive vulnerabilities-related disgust in anxiety disorders.

Keywords:

• Disgust
• interpretations
• contamination fears
• looming vulnerability
• OCD