Disgust and spider phobia.
Twenty-four women with spider phobia and 45 nonphobic women completed the Disgust Questionnaire (DQ; P. Rozin, A. E. Fallon, & R. Mandell, 1984) and the Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ; R. Klorman, T. C. Weerts, J. E. Hastings, B. G. Melamed, & P. J. Lang, 1974). Participants also underwent behavioral tests concerning disgust sensitivity and fear of spiders. Spider phobic women showed stronger disgust sensitivity than nonphobic women, and spiders were found to have a disgust-evoking status that was related to participants' fear of spiders. The relationship between DQ and SPQ was independent of neuroticism and introversion. DQ scores were not associated with a global measure of phobic complaints (i.e., Fear Questionnaire; I. M. Marks & A. Mathews, 1979). Results are consistent with a disease-avoidance model of spider phobia (G. Matchett & G. C. L. Davey, 1991), which emphasizes the role of disgust in spider phobia.
Mulkens
S A
SA
Department of Experimental Abnormal Psychology, Limburg University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
de Jong
P J
PJ
Merckelbach
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000818:Animals; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D013112:Spiders