Self-disgust as a potential mechanism explaining the association between loneliness and depression

Abstract

We demonstrated, for the first time, that self-disgust plays an important role in the association between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, variations in emotion regulation strategies can explain the association between self-disgust and depressive symptoms.

Lonely but avoidant—the unfortunate juxtaposition of loneliness and self-disgust

“…As such, disgust is biologically pre-wired in humans and it is only the maladaptive expression of this basic emotion that seems to be linked to psychopathology (Curtis, 2011;Phillips et al 1998). Secondly, and stemming from the previous argument, published and anecdotal evidence from my own research (e.g, Lazuras et al 2018;Ypsilanti et al 2019) has provided the following key important insights about loneliness and self-disgust:…”

“…Differences in self-disgust are significant for both older (t = 2.802, df = 52, p = 0.007; M age = 68.37, SD = 10.52; 65.9% females) and younger adults (t = 14.83, df = 122 p < 001; M age = 29.29, SD = 14.11; 76.9% females) using the self-disgust scale (Overton et al 2008); Following Cacioppo's approach (Cacioppo et al 2002) we determined lonely and non-lonely groups using the upper and lower quintiles on the UCLA loneliness scale. Note: part of the data included in this figure, specifically those from the younger adults, have been published elsewhere (Ypsilanti et al 2019) PALGRAVE COMMUNICATIONS | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0198-1 COMMENT PALGRAVE COMMUNICATIONS | (2018) 4:144 | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0198-1 | www.nature.com/palcomms…”

“…There are currently at least two published measures with good psychometric properties (i.e., Self-Disgust Scale/SDS, Overton et al 2008; Questionnaire for the Assessment of Self-Disgust/QASD, in German Schienle et al 2014) that can be used to assess the levels of self-disgust. Although there does not seem to be an official cu-off point for "maladaptive" self-disgust, the existing research has shown that higher levels of self-disgust are associated with a poor quality of life (Azlan et al 2017), psychoticism , eating disorders (Fox et al 2018), obsessive-compulsive disorder (Olatunji et al 2015), PTSD (Brake et al 2017), insomnia , and depression (Ypsilanti et al, 2019;Overton et al 2008;Simpson et al 2010). Using measures of self-disgust, therefore, will allow service providers and clinicians to identify individuals who are at higher risk of suffering from other psychopathologies and may, thereby, be less motivated to (re)connect with other people.…”

Impact of perceived social support on depression in Chinese rural‐to‐urban migrants: The mediating effects of loneliness and resilience

“…Furthermore, empirical evidence has also demonstrated the mediating effects of loneliness on the links from intrapersonal variables (e.g. sociocognitive understanding and self‐disgust) to depression (Caputi, Pantaleo, & Scaini, ; Ypsilanti et al, Ypsilanti, Lazuras, Powell, & Overton, ). According to the correlations mentioned above, loneliness may be inferred to be a mediator on the relationship between perceived social support and depression.…”

The Role of Physical and Behavioral Self-Disgust in Relation to Insomnia and Suicidal Ideation

“…1 Theoretically, it is considered to be the result of an interaction between an evolved predisposition to experience disgust, the eventual internalization of socially comparative processes (eg, how other people see me) initiated during early developmental stages, and changes in self-concept which occur over time that may activate an individual's notion of disgust. [2][3][4][5] It has been related to reduced psychological wellbeing and various psychiatric disorders including depression, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, disorders of eating, and more recently insomnia disorder. [6][7][8][9][10] The recently published work in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine by Hom and colleagues 11 highlights the mediating role of both disgust with others and the world when evaluating whether insomnia symptoms predict future (3 months) suicidal ideation severity amongst a sample of United States undergraduate students.…”