Obsessive-compulsive symptoms moderate the effect of contamination motion on disgust intensity

Perceiving a threat as constantly evolving, coming closer and escalating quickly can result in looming vulnerability (LV). LV may be a distal factor in contamination-based OCD (C-OCD) influencing disorder-specific mechanisms such as disgust. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about three components of LV: speed, proximity and acceleration, and their influence on the relationship between disgust and C-OCD symptoms.

119 participants with subclinical C-OCD symptoms imagined four out of seven versions of a disgusting bathroom scene, varying in speed (slow/fast), proximity (farther away/closer), and acceleration (constant/exponential). These six dynamic conditions were compared to a static description. T-tests and a Bayesian multilevel model were used to assess differences in perceived dynamics of threat, disgust responses, and to examine the moderating role of C-OCD symptoms on responses to the experimental conditions.

Threats in the dynamic conditions were perceived as significantly faster, closer, and more accelerated than in the static version. A difference within dynamic dimensions only emerged between the farther away and closer conditions. The Bayesian model showed a moderating effect of C-OCD symptoms leading to higher levels of disgust in the dynamic conditions, but not within the static condition.

Without baseline disgust and LV measures, the specific contributions to disgust and LV for each condition remain unclear.

By showing that imagining dynamic contamination only elicits stronger disgust in individuals with higher C-OCD symptoms, the results support the idea of LV as a distal factor influencing symptom-maintaining factors in C-OCD such as disgust.