A Measure to Assess Individual Differences for Disgust Sensitivity: An Italian Version of the Disgust Scale – Revised

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R) in a large community sample in Italy. Participants (845 Italians, aged 20–46; 50.1% women) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires: the DS-R, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Big Five Observer, and the Padua Inventory. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a six-factor dimensionality of the DS-R in the Italian population. The six-factor structure was partially scalar invariant across gender groups. The data provided some evidence of the scale’s reliability for the sample. Correlations of the DS-R score with the assessed personality dimensions were consistent with the disgust literature. The six-factor dimensionality of the Italian version of the DS-R included the Animal reminder factor, which has also been found in other cultures. The second factor, which we named “Contamination by food,” only partially overlapped the Contamination factor of previous samples. The four remaining factors seemed to assess distinct facets of the Core disgust factor. This also emerged in previous studies. For these four, there was only a partial overlap between the Italian and other populations, suggesting the relevance of cultural differences in the assessment of disgust.