Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T18:52:16.653Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Anxiety disorders and childhood exposure to emotional abuse: The mediating role of disgust

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

M. Innocenti ,
G. Santarelli ,
V. Gironi ,
V. Faggi ,
N. Giaquinta ,
L. Lucherini Angeletti ,
G. Castellini  and
V. Ricca
M. Innocenti*
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
G. Santarelli
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
V. Gironi
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
V. Faggi
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
N. Giaquinta
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
L. Lucherini Angeletti
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
G. Castellini
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
V. Ricca
Affiliation:
Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

Several studies demonstrate that disgust, defined as a revulsion response aimed at distancing an individual from a potentially harmful or noxious stimulus, is linked to post-traumatic stress following sexual trauma even when accounting for associated fear and anxiety. One of the suggested mechanisms implicated in this association is a feeling of mental contamination. Recent neuroimaging studies demonstrated that exposure to contamination activates the insular cortex. In addition, disgust sensitivity correlates with the activation of the insular cortex.

Objectives

We aimed to investigate the psychopathological role of the emotion of disgust in the developement of anxiety symptoms in patient with an history of abuse.

Methods

We enrolled 84 patients admitted in Psychiatric Unit of Careggi with diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders. We administered to them: Zung Anxiety Scale (ZSAS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-revised (DPSS-r).

Results

Results showed a significant mediation of the association between CTQ emotional abuse scores and total ZSAS scores via DPSS disgust sensitivity scores in patients with anxiety disorders (p=0.022). Total effect and indirect effect of emotional abuse on severity of anxiety symptoms were significant (total effect = 0.494; p=0.051, indirect effect: 0.256, p=0.022), while there was no significant direct effect from emotional abuse to anxiety symptoms in the total model (direct effect: 0.237, p=0.356). The model explained 18% of variance in anxiety symptomatology (R2=0.18).

Conclusions

Such preliminary data suggest a possible mediating role of disgust in development and maintenance of childhood abuse-related anxiety, making it a potential target for psychotherapy.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

disgustchildhoodAnxietyemotional abuse
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S75
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.