Disgust sensitivity in early pregnancy as a response to high pathogen risk

Abstract

IntroductionConsidered a part of the behavioral immune system (BIS), disgust sensitivity is expected to be adjusting as a response to the actual level of the environmental health risks.MethodsIn this preregistered study, we tested the hypothesis that disgust sensitivity would be higher during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period in pregnant women. In this between-subject study with a longitudinal trend design, we administered the Disgust Scale-Revised to 200 pregnant women before the pandemic and to 350 pregnant women during the pandemic.ResultsWe found a small but significant effect of the pandemic on disgust sensitivity, such that higher disgust sensitivity was found in women pregnant during the pandemic. This effect was stronger in primiparae, however, the interaction between parity and the pandemic period was not significant. Disgust sensitivity decreased with age. No differences in terms of nausea and vomiting were found between the women pregnant before and during the pandemic.DiscussionOur findings indicate that although BIS is presumed to function as a complex mechanism to prevent health-threatening behaviors, its activation in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic is rather weak.

Association between Disgust Sensitivity during Pregnancy and Endogenous Steroids: A Longitudinal Study

“…Despite that -and in accordance with the compensatory prophylaxis hypothesis -increased susceptibility to disgust was recently observed in early pregnancy in women with lower levels of certain cytokines, in women whose immune system is probably insufficiently activated [34], and in those who had lower maternal serum levels of free β-human chorionic gonadotropin (associated with pregnancy-induced immunotolerance) [7]. During the first trimester, a higher disgust sensitivity was also observed in women who reported recent health problems [10] or in association with increased concentrations of pathogens in the environment, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic [7]. Moreover, a recent study by Dlouhá et al [16] showed a significantly higher disgust sensitivity in women during early pregnancy compared with non-pregnant childless controls, which indicates that higher disgust sensitivity in pregnancy may provide protection during a period that is sensitive to fetal neurodevelopmental disruptions.…”

“…Recent findings indicate that during early pregnancy, the maternal immune system undergoes complex immunomodulation, with some processes being suppressed and others (such as inflammatory processes) being elevated [31][32][33]. Despite that -and in accordance with the compensatory prophylaxis hypothesis -increased susceptibility to disgust was recently observed in early pregnancy in women with lower levels of certain cytokines, in women whose immune system is probably insufficiently activated [34], and in those who had lower maternal serum levels of free β-human chorionic gonadotropin (associated with pregnancy-induced immunotolerance) [7]. During the first trimester, a higher disgust sensitivity was also observed in women who reported recent health problems [10] or in association with increased concentrations of pathogens in the environment, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic [7].…”

“…It has been shown that disgust sensitivity changes during ontogenesis [3,4] and differences in disgust sensitivity have also been observed between men and women [2,5]. Moreover, disgust sensitivity can be influenced by numerous factors, including activity of the immune system [6,7], the presence of pathogens in the environment [8], reproductive status [9,10], and psychosocial influences [11,12]. Based on the premise of this variability in disgust sensitivity, the compensatory prophylaxis hypothesis has been proposed [13], assuming that the individual level of sensitivity to disgust is modulated depending on the current degree of immunosuppression.…”

“…It is apparent from the above that the relation between hormone levels and changes in disgust sensitivity, especially in women during the menstrual cycle, has been repeatedly discussed and the results are inconsistent. On the other hand, in the context of pregnancy, although it is accompanied by significant hormonal and immunological changes, only one study to date has explored the influence of hormones on disgust sensitivity [7]. To better understand the association between hormonal changes and changes in disgust sensitivity and in order to shed more light on the proximal mechanisms of disgust regulation during pregnancy, we have tested a broad range of steroid hormones in the first and then again in the third trimester of pregnancy.…”

The Cognitive Foundations of Fictional Stories

“…For instance, as people become expert in some artistic domains, their preferences shift in predictable ways (Verpooten, 2018;Verpooten & Dewitte, 2017). Another example is pregnancy, which has an effect on the sensitivity of the disgust mechanism (Fessler et al, 2005;Kaňková et al, 2023). Among ecological factors, we focused on the level of resources, but other factors (e.g., population density, pathogen levels, climate) have been shown to explain a significant part of the variance of inter-individual differences in the sensitivity of some mechanisms (Wormley et al, 2023).…”