Differential disgust responding in people with cancer and implications for psychological wellbeing

Abstract

Objectives: Evidence suggests that disgust responses, known to negatively affect psychological wellbeing, may differ in people with cancer. We performed the first quantitative investigation of three discrete types of disgust trait – disgust propensity, sensitivity and self-directed disgust – in people diagnosed with a broad range of cancers (versus cancer-free controls), and explored their associations with psychological wellbeing.

Design: In a cross-sectional survey design, 107 participants with heterogeneous cancer diagnoses, recruited from cancer charities and support groups, were matched with cancer-free controls by age and gender.

Outcome measures: Measures of the three disgust traits were taken alongside measures of anxiety and depression.

Results: Disgust sensitivity and physical self-disgust were significantly higher in the cancer than control sample, while disgust propensity and behavioural self-disgust were lower. The disgust traits had a different pattern of associations to psychological wellbeing across the two groups, with disgust sensitivity predicting depressive symptoms to a significantly greater extent in the cancer than control group.

Conclusions: People with cancer differ from matched controls in their disgust responses and these responses have significant predictive relationships with aspects of their psychological wellbeing. The results suggest that emotion-based interventions may be useful for improving psychological wellbeing in people with cancer.

Keywords:

• cancer
• disgust propensity
• disgust sensitivity
• oncology
• psychological wellbeing
• self-disgust