Jeffrey M. Lohr

The Disgust Scale: Item Analysis, Factor Structure, and Suggestions for Refinement.

In the 4 studies presented (N = 1,939), a converging set of analyses was conducted to evaluate the item adequacy, factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Disgust Scale (DS; J. Haidt, C. McCauley, & P. Rozin, 1994). The results suggest that 7 items (i.e., Items 2, 7, 8, 21, 23, 24, and 25) should be considered for removal from the DS. Secondary to removing the items, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the DS taps 3 dimensions of disgust: Core Disgust, Animal Reminder Disgust, and Contamination-Based Disgust. Women scored higher than men on the 3 disgust dimensions. Structural modeling provided support for the specificity of the 3-factor model, as Core Disgust and Contamination-Based Disgust were significantly predictive of obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) concerns, whereas Animal Reminder Disgust was not. Results from a clinical sample indicated that patients with OCD washing concerns scored significantly higher than patients with OCD without washing concerns on both Core Disgust and Contamination-Based Disgust, but not on Animal Reminder Disgust. These findings are discussed in the context of the refinement of the DS to promote a more psychometrically sound assessment of disgust sensitivity.

Disgust and disgust sensitivity in blood-injection-injury and spider phobia ☆

Blood-injection-injury (BII) phobics and spider phobics show markedly different cognitive, psychophysiological, and motoric reactions to activating stimuli. These observations have led theorists to question whether the emotion of fear mediates both phobias. The present study examined the role of disgust and disgust sensitivity in these subtypes of specific phobia. BII phobics, spider phobics, and nonphobics completed questionnaires and rated pictures of specific objects on fear and disgust scales. Questionnaire data indicated that phobic participants were higher than nonphobics on fear, and also on disgust sensitivity. The reaction of BII phobics to pictures of medical stimuli was one of disgust, rather than fear. The reaction of spider phobics to pictures of spiders was a combination of fear and disgust, though fear appeared to predominate. Results are discussed in view of current theories of emotional factors in specific phobia.

A large sample empirical typology of male spouse abusers and its relationship to dimensions of abuse.

A number of studies have described typologies of domestically violent men. Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) recently proposed a theoretical model for predicting violence severity and generality from personality “type.” The present study, using data from 833 identified abusive men, tested the model. Personality types were determined from cluster analysis of data from the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, and resulted in a three-cluster solution consistent with the Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart model. The three main clusters included nonpathological, antisocial, and passive aggressive-dependent groups. Three other, smaller types were also identified. Multivariate and chi-square analyses comparing the main clusters on other variables generally supported the Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart model. Nonpathological men had the lowest maximum violence and frequency. They restricted their violence primarily to intimate relationships and had the fewest police contacts. Antisocial and passive aggressive-dependent men did not differ in maximum violence, but antisocial men were the most generally violent and had the most police contacts. Passive aggressive-dependent men had the highest frequency of violence. Clinical, theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

Disgust domains in the prediction of contamination fear.

Previous research has shown a relationship between the emotion of disgust and the fear of contamination. Heightened sensitivity to disgust and increased concerns over contamination has been observed in various disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and specific phobias. However, there is a paucity of research identifying the specific domains of disgust that contribute to contamination fear. The present study soughts to determine which domains of disgust elicitors reliably predict scores on a measure of OCD contamination obsessions and washing compulsions. We further conducted exploratory analyses that examined differences in disgust sensitivity among individuals classified as high and low in contamination fear. Three hundred and twenty-three undergraduate participants completed two measures of disgust sensitivity (Disgust Scale; Disgust Emotion Scale) and a measure of contamination fear (Padua inventory, contamination obsessions and washing compulsions subscale). Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that contamination fear was best predicted by seven different disgust domains, thereby suggesting that contamination fear is accounted for by generalized, rather than domain-specific, disgust elicitors. The categories of disgust that predicted contamination fear appeared to have an underlying commonality of threat of contagion. The relationship between fear of contamination and disgust sensitivity was more pronounced for animal reminder disgust elicitors as opposed to core disgust elicitors. Results also showed that individuals classified as high in contamination fear scored significantly higher than the low contamination fear group on all disgust domains. Clinical and research implications regarding the interrelationships between fear, disgust, and the fear of contamination are discussed.

Disgust, Fear, and the Anxiety Disorders: A Critical Review

Anxiety disorders have traditionally been conceptualized as reflecting the emotions of fear and anxiety. A developing program of research demonstrates a relation between disgust and three specific anxiety disorders: blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia, spider phobia, and contamination-related obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This review serves three purposes. First, the authors review the response patterns predicted to be observed if the emotional response in these disorders involved disgust versus fear. The review suggests specific response patterns that characterize disgust and fear in the domains of heart rate, facial expression, neural activity, and cognitive processes. Second, the authors review extant research employing measures of these domains in spider phobia, BII phobia, and contamination-related OCD. The evidence suggests that both fear and disgust characterize each of these disorders, but the magnitude at which the emotions characterize the disorders may depend on the response domain measured. For example, disgust may be more involved in spider phobia in appraisals and facial expression, but less involved in neural correlates or heart rate domains. Third, the authors suggest guidelines for future research, including concurrent use of specific measures as well as examining whether the different emotions in different response domains respond to similar interventions (e.g., exposure).

Disgust sensitivity and contamination fears in spider and blood–injection–injury phobias

Disgust has been implicated in the onset and maintenance of blood-injection-injury (BII) and animal phobias. Research suggests that people with these phobias are characterized by an elevated sensitivity to disgust-evoking stimuli separate from their phobic concerns. The disgust response has been described as the rejection of potential contaminants. Disgust-motivated avoidance of phobic stimuli may therefore be related to fears of contamination or infection. The present study compared BII phobics, spider phobics and nonphobics on two measures of disgust sensitivity and two measures of contamination fears. Positive correlations were found between disgust sensitivity and contamination fear. Specific phobics scored higher than nonphobics on all scales and BII phobics scored higher than spider phobics on contamination fear measures. Furthermore, the contamination fear scales were correlated with the blood phobia measure, but not correlated with the spider phobia measure. The results suggest that while both phobias are characterized by elevated disgust sensitivity, contamination fear is more prominent in BII than spider phobia.

Science and pseudoscience in the development of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Implications for clinical psychology

The enormous popularity recently achieved by Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment for anxiety disorders appears to have greatly outstripped the evidence for its efficacy from controlled research studies. The disparity raises disturbing questions concerning EMDRs aggressive commercial promotion and its rapid acceptance among practitioners. In this article, we: (1) summarize the evidence concerning EMDRs efficacy; (2) describe the dissemination and promotion of EMDR; (3) delineate the features of pseudoscience and explicate their relevance to EMDR; (4) describe the pseudoscientific marketing practices used to promote EMDR; (5) analyze factors contributing to the acceptance of EMDR by professional psychologists; and (6) discuss practical considerations for professional psychologists regarding the adoption of EMDR into professional practice. We argue that EMDR provides an excellent vehicle for illustrating the differences between scientific and pseudoscientific therapeutic techniques. Such distinctions are of critical importance for clinical psychologists who intend to base their practice on the best available research.

An Empirical Classification of Motivations for Domestic Violence

National survey research suggests that males and females are equally likely to perpetrate domestic violence, but surveys have not examined the interpersonal context or motivation for domestic violence. The questioning of identified partner assaulters suggests that females use violence for self-defense and escape, whereas males use violence to exercise control, punish, or demand attention. The perception of perpetrator violence, however, appears also to be a function of the gender of the individual appraising the violence. Six male and 6 female adult nonperpetrators sorted into categories the stated motivations for domestic violence of 215 male and 66 female court-referred perpetrators. Factor analysis revealed (a) motivations common to all: control, anger expression, and coercive communication; (b) motivations specific to gender of perpetrator: retaliation, self-defense, escape, and punishment; and (c) motivations specific to gender of perpetrator and sorter: alcohol use and response to verbal abuse.

Emotional responding to fearful and disgusting stimuli in specific phobics.

Individuals with small animal and blood-injection-injury (BII) phobias respond to phobia-relevant stimuli with both fear and disgust. However, recent studies suggest that fear is the dominant emotional response in animal phobics whereas disgust is the primary emotional response in BII phobics. The present study examined emotional responding toward pictures of spiders, surgical procedures, and two categories of general disgust elicitors (rotting food and body products) among analogue spider phobics, BII phobics, and nonphobics. Dominant emotional responses to phobia-relevant stimuli clearly differentiated the groups. as spider phobics were more likely to be classified as primarily fearful when rating pictures of spiders (74%), whereas BII phobics were more likely to be classified as primarily disgusted when rating pictures of surgical procedures (78%). Discriminant function analyses revealed that disgust ratings, but not fear ratings, of the phobic pictures were significant predictors of phobic group membership. Both phobic groups were characterized by elevated disgust sensitivity toward video and pictorial general disgust elicitors. Implications and suggestions for continued research examining fearful and disgusting stimuli in specific phobia are outlined.

Efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Implications for behavior therapy *

The commitment of behavior therapy to empiricism has led it to a prominent position in the development of validated methods of treatment. The recent development and rapid expansion of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a treatment that bears a resemblance to behavioral techniques and that has been proposed as an alternative to such techniques for numerous psychological disorders, raises important questions for the field of behavior therapy. In this article, we examine 17 recent studies on the effectiveness of EMDR and the conceptual analysis of its mechanisms of action. The research we review shows that (a) the effects of EMDR are limited largely or entirely to verbal report indices, (b) eye movements appear to be unnecessary for improvement, and (c) reported effects are consistent with non-specific procedural artifacts. Moreover, the conceptual analysis of EMDR is inconsistent with scientific findings concerning the role of eye movements. Implications of the empirical and theoretical literature on EMDR for behavior therapy are discussed.