Vulnerability to mental contamination

Mental contamination refers to feelings of contamination that arise without physical contact with a contaminant. Mental contamination has been documented among sexual assault victims, some of whom report feeling dirty and wanting to wash in response to memories of the assault. This study examined variables associated with increased vulnerability to mental contamination. Female undergraduates (n=100) filled out a series of questionnaires and listened to an audiotape that instructed them to imagine experiencing a forced kiss by an undesirable male. Controls (n=20) imagined a consensual kiss by a desirable male. Women in the non-consensual condition reported stronger feelings of dirtiness and urge to wash than those in the consensual condition. Twenty-seven women in the non-consensual condition spontaneously rinsed in order to alleviate physical sensations evoked by the tape. Regression analyses revealed that significant predictors of dirtiness included contact contamination fear and disgust sensitivity, and there was a trend for anxiety sensitivity to predict dirtiness. Contact contamination fear was also a significant predictor of urge to wash. Prior experience with unwanted sexual contact was a significant predictor of rinsing, and there was a trend for fear of negative evaluation to predict rinsing. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for our understanding of mental contamination.