Contamination-Focused Exposure as a Treatment for Disgust-Based Fears: A Preliminary Test in Spider-Fearful Women.

Abstract

Disgust is thought to play a prominent role in multiple anxiety disorders and fears, including spider phobia, though little attention has been given to specific treatment strategies that may be effective for multiple disgust-based fears. In the present study, we evaluated contamination-focused exposure as a potential transdiagnostic treatment strategy for disgust-based fears in a spider fearful sample. Women with significant spider fear were randomized to three 30-minute sessions of exposure therapy involving repeated contact with a dirt mixture (n=17) or a waitlist control condition (n=17). Assessments of spider fear and disgust were administered at baseline and at one-week posttreatment. At high (but not low) levels of pretreatment disgust propensity, exposure led to lower in vivo spider fear and perceived danger than waitlist, though exposure had no effects on spider-related disgust. Similar effects of exposure on spider fear were found at high levels of pretreatment spider-related disgust. Exposure also reduced fear and danger perceptions, but not disgust, related to a separate contamination assessment (touching a toilet). No effects of treatment were found on self-report measures of spider fear or disgust propensity. These findings suggest contamination-focused exposure therapy may be an effective transdiagnostic treatment strategy for individuals with elevated disgust propensity. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.