When disgust leads to dysphoria: A three-wave longitudinal study assessing the temporal relationship between self-disgust and depressive symptoms

Abstract

Research has shown that feelings of self-disgust may have a functional role in the genesis of depression by partially mediating the cross-sectional relationship between dysfunctional thoughts and depressive symptoms. However, there are many outstanding issues regarding these hypothesised associations. First, it is not yet clear whether self-disgust is a temporal antecedent, concomitant, or consequence of depressive experience. Second, it is not known whether the hypothesised mediation sequence is valid over time. Third, the relative contribution of disgust towards different aspects of the self has not yet been examined. In the present longitudinal study, participants completed measures of dysfunctional cognitions, self-disgust and depressive symptoms at baseline, and at six and 12-month follow-ups. Analysis showed that self-disgust is best considered as antecedent to depressive symptoms; the hypothesised mediation model was partially supported, but is too simplistic; and disgust towards physical aspects of the self, rather than behaviour, was more important as a temporal predictor of depressive symptoms. The current results help elucidate the role of self-disgust as an antecedent of depressive experience.

Differential disgust responding in people with cancer and implications for psychological wellbeing

“…This result supports the proposition that the aetiology of depression might not involve a greater proneness to externally-oriented disgust (i.e., DP), but may instead be associated with socially-learned disgust reactions towards aspects of the self (or self-disgust; e.g., Overton et al, 2008;Powell et al, 2013;Power & Dalgleish, 2008), and particularly physical aspects of the self. Behavioural SD, on the other hand, did not predict depression after controlling for the other disgust traits (cf., Powell et al, 2013), but did predict anxiety in both groups. The unpleasant behavioural consequences of having cancer (e.g., urine/faecal incontinence) may expose individuals to a higher risk of contamination and infection (e.g., Gea-Banacloche & Segal, 2011), which may increase their level of anxiety, but not depression, associated with behaviours perceived as disgusting.…”

The effect of disgust-related side-effects on symptoms of depression and anxiety in people treated for cancer: a moderated mediation model

“…To maintain consistency with prior research on disgust in the context of depression (e.g., Overton et al, 2008;Powell et al, 2013), and to account for potential criticisms of the sensitivity of the HADS depression subscale (see Luckett et al, 2010), a second measure of depression was included in the surveys, the 7-item depression subscale of the short-form Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21;Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). For each item (e.g., "I felt that life was meaningless") participants indicated how much it had applied to them over the previous week on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = did not apply to me at all, 3 = applied to me very much, or most of the time).…”

“…An important mediational pathway through which the disgustrelated side-effects of cancer treatments may lead to increased depression and/or anxiety is via affect-congruent negative appraisals of the self. In particular, cancer patients may come to appraise themselves (or certain self-aspects) as disgusting, which may then lead to heightened symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (e.g., Beck, 1967;Powell, Overton, Simpson, 2013). Self-disgust has been shown to be a significant temporal antecedent of (i.e., a consistent vulnerability factor for) depressive symptoms (Overton, Markland, Taggart, Bagshaw, & Simpson, 2008;Powell et al, 2013), and has also been linked to anxious responding (Olatunji, Cox, & Kim, 2015).…”

“…In particular, cancer patients may come to appraise themselves (or certain self-aspects) as disgusting, which may then lead to heightened symptoms of depression and/or anxiety (e.g., Beck, 1967;Powell, Overton, Simpson, 2013). Self-disgust has been shown to be a significant temporal antecedent of (i.e., a consistent vulnerability factor for) depressive symptoms (Overton, Markland, Taggart, Bagshaw, & Simpson, 2008;Powell et al, 2013), and has also been linked to anxious responding (Olatunji, Cox, & Kim, 2015). Furthermore, self-directed disgust has a hypothesised role in chronic physical health conditions, including cancer (Reynolds, McCambridge, & Consedine, 2015).…”

“…Furthermore, self-directed disgust has a hypothesised role in chronic physical health conditions, including cancer (Reynolds, McCambridge, & Consedine, 2015). Broadly, people can experience enduring self-disgust toward their physical bodies and/or their behavioural acts (Overton et al, 2008), with independent predictive effects on measures of psychopathology (e.g., Powell et al, 2013).…”