Animal Reminder Disgust Research Articles

Little Evidence for the Role of Disgust Sensitivity in Implicit Disgust to Images of White People Engaged in Injecting Drug Use (IDU)

Background: Previous research has shown that People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) are subject to public stigma, which affects access to, and provision and quality of, treatment and support services. Less is known about the socio-cognitive processes that support the development and maintenance of public stigma toward PWID. The present study investigated the role of disgust sensitivity in implicit disgust to injecting drug use. Methods: 126 participants took part in an online Implicit Association Task (IAT) measuring implicit disgust to pictorial stimuli of injecting drug use or medical injecting. Participants also completed The Disgust Scale Revised, Injecting Phobia Scale (Short Form), Attitudes to People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) scale and a substance use inventory. Results: Average IAT score was negative indicating significantly higher implicit disgust to injecting drug use. Hierarchical linear regression found that injecting phobia predicted implicit disgust to injecting drug use. Questionnaire measures of disgust did not predict implicit disgust. While animal reminder disgust and injecting phobia were significantly correlated with each other, animal reminder disgust did not predict implicit disgust scores. Conclusions: On the basis of our findings, stigma toward PWID may not be a result of feelings of disgust toward injecting drug use. We discuss findings in the context of the underlying cortical processes supporting implicit and explicit representations of disgust. Future research should seek to investigate neurophysiological evidence for disgust to and stigmatization of injecting drug use and the potential role of domains of disgust in this.

Longitudinal changes in disgust sensitivity during pregnancy and the early postpartum period, and the role of recent health problems

Disgust is an essential part of the behavioral immune system, protecting the individual from infection. According to the Compensatory Prophylaxis Hypothesis (CPH), disgust sensitivity increases in times of immunosuppression, potentially including pregnancy. We aimed to replicate a previous study observing longitudinal changes in disgust sensitivity in pregnant women. Additionally, for the first time, we explored how recent health problems influence these changes. To do this, we obtained disgust sensitivity measures from 94 women in each trimester and in early postpartum. In contrast to the original study, where disgust sensitivity was highest in the first trimester, we found that overall and animal reminder disgust increased across pregnancy and after birth. In line with the CPH, women who were recently sick in the first trimester had elevated disgust sensitivity at that time. Although disgust sensitivity was significantly higher in the second trimester and postpartum period compared to the first trimester in mothers pregnant with a male fetus, the overall results regarding the effect of fetus sex on disgust sensitivity were mixed. It seems that changing levels of disgust sensitivity during pregnancy and postpartum result from a suite of physiological and psychological changes that occur during this sensitive period of a woman’s life.

The psychology of morbid curiosity: Development and initial validation of the morbid curiosity scale

The success of horror films, popularity of true crime, and prevalence of violence in the news implies that morbid curiosity is a common psychological trait. However, research on morbid curiosity is largely absent from the psychological literature. In this paper, I present a psychometric tool for assessing morbid curiosity, defined as a motivation to seek out information about dangerous phenomena, and use it to investigate the psychological nature of morbid curiosity. In studies 1 and 2 (ntotal = 1370), the Morbid Curiosity Scale was developed and its relationship to personality was assessed. Morbidly curious individuals were rebellious, socially curious, and low in animal reminder disgust. Study 3 (n = 317) demonstrated that trait morbid curiosity is stable over 4–6 weeks and that morbidly curious individuals prefer movies where threat is a central theme. In Study 4 (n = 137), participants were presented with a choice between morbid information and non-morbid information (image and text). Morbid curiosity predicted over half the variance (r2 = 0.53) in decisions to further investigate morbid information. These four studies provide evidence that morbid curiosity is a normally occurring psychological trait that can be assessed using the new 24-item Morbid Curiosity Scale.

The transdiagnostic nature of disgust propensity: An examination of its associations with anxiety and obsessive compulsive-related disorder symptoms

Significant research highlights the role of disgust propensity in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other anxiety-based diagnoses and suggests that heightened disgust propensity may be a transdiagnostic risk factor for these disorders. However, OCD was reclassified from an anxiety to an obsessive-compulsive and related disorder (OCRD), due in part to OCD being associated with a range of non-anxiety affective experiences, including disgust. A fair amount of work has examined the relationship between disgust, OCD, and anxiety disorders; less information is available on its relation to the OCRDs. The present study examined associations between specific domains of disgust propensity and self-reported symptoms of several anxiety disorders, OCD, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and hoarding in two non-clinical samples. Results showed that specific phobia, OCD, and BDD symptoms were consistently and strongly correlated with disgust domains. Results of multivariate regression analyses indicated replicable relationships between animal-reminder disgust and specific phobia symptoms, core disgust and animal phobia symptoms, and contamination disgust and cleaning symptoms, controlling for negative affect, anxiety sensitivity, and experiential avoidance. Results were inconsistent for panic, BDD, and hoarding symptoms. These results partially support the argument that the OCRDs are more distinct than similar and that OCD and some anxiety disorders are defined by common psychological processes.

The Animal at Unease with Itself: Death Anxiety and the Animal–Human Boundary in Genesis 2–3 by Isaac M. Alderman

Reviewed by: The Animal at Unease with Itself: Death Anxiety and the Animal–Human Boundary in Genesis 2–3 by Isaac M. Alderman Jennifer L. Koosed isaac m. alderman, The Animal at Unease with Itself: Death Anxiety and the Animal–Human Boundary in Genesis 2–3 (Lanham, MD: Lexington/Fortress Academic, 2020). Pp xxv + 187. $100. In this work, Isaac Alderman brings together animal studies and cognitive research, specifically terror management theory. Despite any expectations raised by the title of the book, Genesis 2–3 is not the central focus; rather, A. uses seven chapters to explicate his method, arriving at his exegesis of Genesis 2–3 only in the last two chapters. In this way, A. uses the creation story as a test case for the approach he is advancing. He argues that the concepts of animal reminder disgust and death anxiety, derived from cognitive science, provide important insight into any biblical text that grapples with mortality, focuses on the human body, or addresses animal life. All three themes are present in Genesis 2–3. A.’s work advocates for a wide-ranging interdisciplinarity that draws from the humanities as well as from the sciences and the social sciences. A. has developed a hermeneutical frame that could be used by other scholars on other texts. He has produced a thought-provoking study of Genesis 2–3, one that also becomes a wider meditation on the human condition. Alderman begins with an intriguing observation. Cognitive research is grounded in the idea that brain function is universal. We have the “same brain architecture, cognitive processes, and emotional systems” that we did six thousand years ago (p. xvi). Therefore, the brains of the biblical writers processed information and responded to stimuli exactly as our brains do today. Consequently, using cognitive science can open a window into biblical meaning. A. deftly describes complex theory and research, sketching it out succinctly and clearly. His most important conversation partners are the philosopher Jacques Derrida and the cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker. Charles Darwin also makes contributions to the discussion. The first chapter lays the groundwork for A.’s approach by addressing cognitive science, and how this research has been adopted in the humanities, particularly for understanding what is happening in the brain when we tell stories and when we perform rituals. Cognitive science has been employed by a few biblical scholars (most notably Ellen J. van Wolde). What sets A.’s approach apart is his focus on terror management theory, to which [End Page 482] he turns in chap. 2. Human beings are unique in the animal kingdom in that we can anticipate our own death and contemplate mortality. Such contemplation provokes anxiety. We then develop strategies to help decrease this anxiety. Since identification with animals reminds us of our own mortality, one buffer against death anxiety is the manufacture of a strong animal–human boundary. The emotion of disgust—also unique to humans—functions as one of these coping mechanisms, helping to police the animal–human boundary. In chap. 3, A. explores in more depth the shared corporality between humans and other animals and the anxiety that our shared bodies produces in us. Here A. argues that mind/body dualism is intuitive and helps protect against death anxiety. He identifies dualism in the biblical text and hence challenges the idea that the people of Israel were more holistic in their understanding of the human person. Chapters 4 and 5 examine cultural systems that have developed to protect us from contemplation of our own mortality. Belief in an afterlife and rituals around death both function to decrease death anxiety and strengthen the human–animal boundary. In chap. 5, A. looks at other cultural systems generated to decrease death anxiety. Terror management theory connects human concern with appearance (adornment, hair removal, clothing) to death anxiety because such acts transform our bodies into symbols. Chapters 6 and 7 address animal studies, explicating the theory and then turning to the use of animals (materially and symbolically) in the Bible and in ancient Near Eastern culture. The examination of animals includes a section on clothing. Clothing is often made from animals and animal products; clothing has complex symbolic value and...

Factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Japanese version of the Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R-J)

The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the Disgust Scale-Revised (DS-R-J). The participants were 1063 Japanese people (mean age = 21.64, SD = 7.33, range = 18–77; 581 males and 482 females) and were separated into three different groups. Participants in samples 1 (n = 481) and 2 (n = 492) provided data for examining the factor structure and validity of the DS-R-J. They completed the DS-R-J as well as questionnaires assessing disgust propensity and sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity, state and trait anxiety, affective state, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Participants in sample 3 (n = 90) provided data for estimating the test–retest reliability of the DS-R-J. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the three-factor structure involving core disgust, animal-reminder disgust, and physical and mental contamination disgust. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were sufficient, and conceptual validity of the DS-R-J was also supported. The results show that the Japanese version of the DS-R-J is a reliable and valid measurement of disgust sensitivity.

Everyday sadism, the Dark Triad, personality, and disgust sensitivity

Research into dark personalities has advocated for the addition of sadism due to its close relationship with other dark traits (Book et al., 2016). Lower disgust for atavistic and animalistic tendencies may provide an objective marker of the greater predatory tendencies and desire for power represented by everyday sadism. In the present study, we explored self-reported personality and disgust traits underlying non-sexual ‘everyday’ sadism (Buckels, Jones, & Paulhus, 2013). In line with previous research, it was predicted sadism would be negatively correlated with the honesty-humility, agreeableness and emotionality dimensions of the HEXACO, and positively correlated with psychopathy and Machiavellianism from the Dark Triad. As an added dimension, the study also investigated disgust sensitivity's relationship to sadism. A total of 235 participants (66.4% female, 31.1% male; mean age 31.35years (SD=13.97years)) completed an online survey comprising a series of psychometric measures. Results indicated that extraversion, psychopathy, Machiavellianism and animal reminder disgust were significant predictors of sadism scores. Future studies may want to include a measure of disgust sensitivity (including behavioural indices) to investigate its relationship with sadism and the DT.

Worm in the Pudding Cup

Drawing on insights offered by Richard Beck in Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality (Beck 2011), I explore several categories of disgust. Girard incorporates sociomoral disgust into his theoretical reflections; however, core disgust and animal-reminder disgust are discrete forms of revulsion not recognized as such by Girard. Arguing that these merit special attention, I argue that Girard’s theory is made more compelling, not less, when we attend to foul elements that ooze from around the edges of his theory despite his effort to contain them under the sign of sacrifice. Making this seepage a topic of discussion is like taking the lid off a carton long forgotten at the back of the refrigerator. Yes, the mold so revealed is repulsive; however, as Alexander Fleming found when he discovered penicillin in mold growing in a neglected petri dish in his lab, that which disgusts us can also save us.

Cooking and disgust sensitivity influence preference for attending insect-based food events

Insects are energy-efficient and sustainable sources of animal protein in a world with insufficient food resources to feed an ever-increasing population. However, much of the western world refuses to eat insects because they perceive them as disgusting. This research finds that both animal reminder disgust and core disgust reduced people's willingness to attend a program called “Bug Appétit” in which insects were served as food. Additionally, people who were low in sensitivity to animal reminder disgust were more willing to attend this program after having been primed to think about cooking. Cooking is a process by which raw ingredients are transformed into finished products, reducing the “animalness” of meat products that renders them disgusting. Sensitivity to core disgust did not interact with cooking to influence willingness to attend the program. While prior research has emphasized that direct education campaigns about the benefits of entomophagy (the consumption of insects) can increase willingness to attend events at which insect-based food is served, this is the first demonstration that indirect priming can have a similar effect among a subset of the population.

Nonpolitical Images Evoke Neural Predictors of Political Ideology

SummaryPolitical ideologies summarize dimensions of life that define how a person organizes their public and private behavior, including their attitudes associated with sex, family, education, and personal autonomy [1, 2]. Despite the abstract nature of such sensibilities, fundamental features of political ideology have been found to be deeply connected to basic biological mechanisms [3, 4, 5, 6, 7] that may serve to defend against environmental challenges like contamination and physical threat [8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. These results invite the provocative claim that neural responses to nonpolitical stimuli (like contaminated food or physical threats) should be highly predictive of abstract political opinions (like attitudes toward gun control and abortion) [13]. We applied a machine-learning method to fMRI data to test the hypotheses that brain responses to emotionally evocative images predict individual scores on a standard political ideology assay. Disgusting images, especially those related to animal-reminder disgust (e.g., mutilated body), generate neural responses that are highly predictive of political orientation even though these neural predictors do not agree with participants’ conscious rating of the stimuli. Images from other affective categories do not support such predictions. Remarkably, brain responses to a single disgusting stimulus were sufficient to make accurate predictions about an individual subject’s political ideology. These results provide strong support for the idea that fundamental neural processing differences that emerge under the challenge of emotionally evocative stimuli may serve to structure political beliefs in ways formerly unappreciated.

The Role of Domain-Specific Disgust Propensity in Behavioral Avoidance and Self-Reported Fainting Symptoms in Blood-Injection-Injury Phobia

Recent research has implicated the role of disgust in avoidance and fainting associated with blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia. While several studies suggest that disgust propensity has a ‘domain-specific’ association (e.g. animal-reminder disgust) with these features of BII phobia, other studies have found a more generalized association (e.g. animal reminder and core disgust). The present study attempts to address this inconsistency in the literature by utilizing in vivo behavioral exposure to examine the role of disgust in avoidance and fainting among BII fearful (n = 38) and non-fearful (n = 35) participants. Avoidance and fainting symptoms were assessed during exposure to threat-relevant (bloody gauze, severed deer leg) and threat-irrelevant (worm, cockroach) stimuli. Contrary to hypotheses, regression analyses revealed that when the stimulus was threat-relevant, disgust propensity did not predict avoidance above and beyond BII fear. However, when the stimulus was threat-irrelevant, generalized disgust propensity predicted avoidance. Further, generalized disgust propensity predicted fainting symptoms during exposure to threat-relevant and threat-irrelevant stimuli above and beyond BII fear, whereas animal-reminder disgust did not. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing the role of disgust propensity domains in avoidance and fainting associated with BII phobia are discussed.

Demographic influences on disgust: Evidence from a heterogeneous sample

In this study we examined the construct and external validity of the Disgust Scale Revised (Olatunji, Williams, et al., 2007), in a large heterogeneous sample (N=1427). In addition, we investigated the role of demographic variables on disgust’s sensitivity. The findings reveal that the DS_R adheres to the three-factor structure (i.e., Core disgust, Animal-Reminder Disgust, and Contamination-Based Disgust), signifying the validity of the DS_R in a heterogeneous sample. Moreover, gender was found to have a large effect on DS_R score, while the effects of other demographic variables, such as religion, political view, education and age, were exceptionally modest. These results indicate that demographic variables, excluding gender, do not directly influence disgust’s sensitivity. Rather, these variables mainly modulate the context in which disgust is elicited.

Specific disgust sensitivities differentially predict interest in careers of varying procedural-intensity among medical students

Mismatches between the needs of public health systems and student interests have led to renewed study on the factors predicting career specializations among medical students. While most work examines career and lifestyle values, emotional proclivities may be important; disgust sensitivity may help explain preferences for careers with greater and lesser degrees of procedural content. In the study, 294 students completed measures assessing: (1) demographics, (2) career interest or intention regarding emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatric medicine, (3) traditional determinants of career intention/interest, and (4) core/bodily product, animal reminder, contamination, and sexual/moral disgust sensitivity. As predicted, logistic regressions controlling for demographics and traditional career predictors, showed that greater animal reminder disgust predicted reduced interest in emergency medicine but greater interest in pediatric medicine. Conversely, greater core/bodily product disgust predicted lower interest in obstetrics/gynecology and pediatric medicine; greater contamination and sexual/moral disgust both predicted increased odds of interest in internal medicine. Overall, specific disgust sensitivities were the best predictors of specialization intention in multivariate models. Specific disgust sensitivities appear to differentially deter and/or predispose self-selection into specific trajectories varying in procedural content. Such findings may permit the early identification of specialty fit and provide guidance in career counseling.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Persian Disgust Scale-Revised: Examination of Specificity to Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Although a growing body of research has implicated disgust in the etiology of a variety of anxiety disorders, there remains a paucity of research examining this phenomenon across different cultures. The present study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of a newly adapted Persian Disgust Scale-Revised (PDS-R). A large sample (n = 374) of Iranian students completed the PDS-R and other symptom measures of psychopathology including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Results showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PDS-R. Confirmatory factor analysis found support for two- and three-factor models of the PDS-R. However, examination of internal consistency estimates suggests that a two-factor model of contagion disgust and animal-reminder disgust may be more parsimonious. The PDS-R total and subscale scores displayed theoretically consistent patterns of correlations with symptom measures of psychopathology. Structural equation modeling also revealed that latent disgust sensitivity, defined by the contagion disgust and animal-reminder disgust subscales of the PDS-R, was significantly associated with latent symptoms of contamination and non-contamination-based OCD when controlling for latent negative affect. The implications of these findings for the cross-cultural assessment of disgust in the context of anxiety related pathology are discussed.

Early posterior negativity is larger for snake pictures than for spider pictures in non-phobic women

Disgust sensitivity and concern with contamination have been frequently associated with Spider and Blood-Injection-Injury (BII) Phobias. This study assessed the domain specificity of disgust sensitivity and concern with contamination in 29 Non-Phobic Controls, 25 clinical Spider Phobics, 26 clinical BII Phobics, and 27 persons who met clinical criteria for Spider Phobia and BII Phobia. On self-report measures we found evidence of domain specificity of disgust sensitivity for the Spider and BII Phobia groups. Furthermore, we found that persons with both phobias may be more disgust sensitive than persons with a single phobia. Interestingly, the animal reminder disgust stimulus used in this research was more sensitive to detecting domain specific differences in disgust sensitivity between Phobic groups than was the core disgust stimulus, emphasizing the importance of developing standardized behavioral measures of disgust sensitivity in future research. Lastly, findings from this research suggest that concern with contamination may be more influential in phobic avoidance for persons with Spider Phobia than for persons with BII Phobia. Treatment implications for these findings are discussed.

An experimental analysis of disgust sensitivity and fear of contagion in Spider and Blood Injection Injury Phobia

Disgust sensitivity and concern with contamination have been frequently associated with Spider and Blood-Injection-Injury (BII) Phobias. This study assessed the domain specificity of disgust sensitivity and concern with contamination in 29 Non-Phobic Controls, 25 clinical Spider Phobics, 26 clinical BII Phobics, and 27 persons who met clinical criteria for Spider Phobia and BII Phobia. On self-report measures we found evidence of domain specificity of disgust sensitivity for the Spider and BII Phobia groups. Furthermore, we found that persons with both phobias may be more disgust sensitive than persons with a single phobia. Interestingly, the animal reminder disgust stimulus used in this research was more sensitive to detecting domain specific differences in disgust sensitivity between Phobic groups than was the core disgust stimulus, emphasizing the importance of developing standardized behavioral measures of disgust sensitivity in future research. Lastly, findings from this research suggest that concern with contamination may be more influential in phobic avoidance for persons with Spider Phobia than for persons with BII Phobia. Treatment implications for these findings are discussed.

The relationship between disgust, state-anxiety and motivation during a dissection task

Emotions influence motivation, but emotions, such as disgust, have attracted less attention in learning research. We assessed the influence of disgust measured as trait and specific state component, state anxiety and self-efficacy on intrinsic motivation during the dissection of a fish using a pre-/post-design in science teacher students. Anxiety and disgust had a negative influence on motivation. Students with more experience in dissections reported lower pressure. Anxiety after the lesson was influenced by prior anxiety and by animal reminder disgust. Specific state disgust after the dissection was predicted by prior specific state disgust, core disgust and state anxiety. State anxiety and specific state disgust decreased during the dissection. The future commitment to use dissection at school was solely predicted by interest; competence and pressure failed the significance level marginally.

Psychometric analysis of the Korean version of the Disgust Scale—Revised

ObjectiveDisgust is a basic emotion associated with feelings of revulsion and withdrawal behaviors from dangerous situations. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Disgust Scale—Revised (DS-R), a tool designed to measure individuals' responses to various disgust-provoking situations, among Korean populations. MethodsA sample of 1117 healthy volunteers completed self-report questionnaires containing the 27-item DS-R. A subsample (n = 231) completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Principal component analysis using a varimax rotation was conducted. Construct validity was assessed using Pearson correlation analysis for the TCI, EPQ, and STAI. To examine differences in responses on the DS-R among populations, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder were compared with healthy subjects who were matched with respect to age and sex. ResultsThe Cronbach α estimates for total items and the 3 original subscales of the DS-R, including: core disgust, animal reminder disgust, and contamination-based disgust, were 0.86, 0.77, 0.80, and 0.55, respectively. Principal component analysis identified 5 factors, which accounted for 48% of the total variance of the scale. The 5 newly developed dimensions were labeled as core disgust-touch, core disgust-dirt, contamination-based disgust, animal reminder disgust, and social intolerance disgust. The Cronbach α coefficients were 0.79, 0.64, 0.46, 0.77, and 0.34, respectively, for these subscales. The DS-R was correlated positively with harm avoidance from the TCI, neuroticism from the EPQ, and the anxiety scores of STAI. Furthermore, the contamination-based disgust scores for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder were higher than those of normal controls. ConclusionThe DS-R may be a reliable, valid, and acceptable tool to measure disgust sensitivity among Korean populations. The psychometric properties of the Korean version of the DS-R and the original DS-R are discussed.

The Disgust Scale-R: A valid and reliable index to investigate separate disgust domains?

The Disgust Scale (DS; Haidt, McCauley, & Rozin, 1994) is the most widely used instrument for assessing disgust propensity (i.e., individual tendency to experience disgust). Yet, psychometric evaluations of the DS are scarce while the literature shows that the reliability of its subscales are unacceptably low. Recently, it was suggested to reduce the number of subscales (Olatunji, Sawchuk, de Jong, & Lohr, 2007a). This study is a first exploration of this reduced three-factor solution in an independent sample. In study I, we examined whether a three-factor solution improves psychometric properties of the DS. Students from Maastricht University (N=535) and the University of Groningen (N=432) completed the DS. In study II, the DS was revised by dropping redundant items and revising its scoring format. The DS-R was administered to students from the University of Groningen (N=472) and Ghent University (N=41) to study its psychometric properties. The revisions improved the psychometric features of the DS, and showed that the DS-R is a valid and reliable index to establish core disgust, animal-reminder disgust, and contamination.

Domains of disgust sensitivity: revisited factor structure of the questionnaire for the assessment of disgust sensitivity (QADS) in a cross-sectional, representative german survey

BackgroundDisgust sensitivity is defined as a predisposition to experiencing disgust, which can be measured on the basis of the Disgust Scale and its German version, the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Disgust Sensitivity (QADS). In various studies, different factor structures were reported for either instrument. The differences may most likely be due to the selected factor analysis estimation methods and the small non-representative samples. Consequently, the aims of this study were to explore and confirm a theory-driven and statistically coherent QADS factor structure in a large representative sample and to present its standard values.MethodsThe QADS was answered by N = 2473 healthy subjects. The respective households and participants were selected using the random-route sampling method. Afterwards, the collected sample was compared to the information from the Federal Statistical Office to ensure that it was representative for the German residential population. With these data, an exploratory Promax-rotated Principal Axis Factor Analysis as well as comparative confirmatory factor analyses with robust Maximum Likelihood estimations were computed. Any possible socio-demographic influences were quantified as effect sizes.ResultsThe data-driven and theoretically sound solution with the three highly interrelated factors Animal Reminder Disgust, Core Disgust, and Contamination Disgust led to a moderate model fit. All QADS scales had very good reliabilities (Cronbach's alpha) from .90 to .95. There were no age-differences found among the participants, however, the female participants showed remarkably higher disgust ratings.ConclusionsBased on the representative sample, the QADS factor structure was revised. Gender-specific standard percentages permit a population-based assessment of individual disgust sensitivity. The differences of the original QADS, the new solution, and the Disgust Scale - Revised will be discussed.