The Mediating Role of Disgust Sensitivity in the Relationship Between Professional Perception and Professional...

To examine the relationships among disgust sensitivity, professional perception and professional belonging in midwifery students, and to test whether disgust sensitivity statistically mediates the perception-belonging association.

A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study.

Between March and May 2025, 295 midwifery students at a state university in southeastern Türkiye completed an online survey comprising a sociodemographic form and three validated scales measuring disgust propensity and sensitivity, midwifery vocational perception and midwifery belonging. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation, hierarchical regression and bootstrap mediation analysis.

Students reported high levels of professional perception and belonging and a moderate level of disgust sensitivity (interpreted relative to each scale's possible range). Professional perception was positively associated with belonging, while disgust sensitivity was negatively associated with both. Hierarchical regression showed that professional perception was the strongest predictor of belonging, with disgust sensitivity making a small additional negative contribution (4.2% of variance). Bootstrap analysis indicated that disgust sensitivity partially and statistically mediated the perception-belonging association.

Professional perception is the strongest correlate of professional belonging in midwifery students, and disgust sensitivity shows a small negative association that partially and statistically accounts for the perception-belonging relationship. Because the design is cross-sectional, these associations should not be interpreted causally.

Nurse and midwife educators and clinical mentors can use these findings to support students who experience disgust during placements. Practical, evidence-based applications include normalising disgust in clinical supervision, embedding graduated and simulation-based exposure before high-contact procedures, providing structured reflective debriefing after emotionally demanding events such as perinatal loss, and offering supportive mentorship-measures that may help preserve caring behaviour and strengthen students' connection to the profession.

The study addressed whether disgust sensitivity is associated with professional belonging in midwifery students and how it relates to the perception-belonging link. Findings show that professional perception is the strongest correlate of belonging and that disgust sensitivity is independently and negatively associated with belonging and partially mediates this relationship statistically. The findings inform nurse and midwife educators, curriculum designers and clinical mentors, particularly regarding clinical placement and emotion-focused educational support.

STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies.

No patient or public contribution. Midwifery students were the participants but were not involved in the design, conduct or reporting of this study.