Measuring fear evoked by the scariest animal: Czech versions of the Spider Questionnaire and Spider Phobia Beliefs Questionnaire

Background Although tiny in size and mostly harmless, spiders evoke exceptional fear in a significant part of the population and arachnophobia is one of the most common anxiety disorders with prevalence 2.7–6.1%. Two standard measures have been widely used to reliably assess the emotional and cognitive component of spider fear, the Spider Questionnaire (SPQ) and Spider Phobia Beliefs Questionnaire (SBQ). We aimed to develop and validate their Czech translations, describe distribution of spider fear in the Czech population, and analyse its association with disgust propensity and other sociodemographic characteristics. Methods In Phase 1, we developed Czech translations of both questionnaires using a back-translation procedure and then tested their psychometric properties against their English versions in a counterbalanced experimental design using the Mann-Whitney U test and two-sided t-test. In Phase 2, we analysed scores on the Czech SPQ and SBQ on a larger sample. We evaluated the effects of age, gender, level of education, biology background, and association with the assessments of snake fear (i.e. the Snake Questionnaire, SNAQ) and disgust propensity (i.e. the Disgust Scale-Revised, DS-R) using a Spearman correlation, redundancy analysis, and general linear models. Results We have demonstrated that the Czech SPQ and SBQ are equivalent to their originals and show excellent test-retest reliability (SPQ: 0.93; SBQ: 0.87–0.90). In total, 398 (10.3%) out of 3863 subjects reached the cut-off point for potential spider phobia. In addition, SPQ and SBQ scores were highly correlated (0.73–0.79), significantly more than with the SNAQ (0.21–0.32) or the DS-R (0.36–0.40). Two multivariate statistical methods revealed a significant association between the gender, age, level of education, biology background, or disgust propensity and the SPQ scores. Conclusion The Czech SPQ and SBQ may produce reliable and valid assessments of spider fear, but they must be further psychometrically tested considering the limitation of this study before wider use. We corroborate previous findings that fear of spiders is significantly associated with sociodemographic variables, such as gender, age, or education, as well as with the individual level of disgust propensity.

Measuring Fear Evoked by the Scariest Animal: The Effect of Gender, Age, Education, and Disgust on Spider Phobia

Background: Although tiny in size and mostly harmless, spiders evoke exceptional fear in a significant part of the population and arachnophobia belongs to one of the most common anxiety disorders with prevalence 2.7-6.1%. Two standardized psychometrics have been widely used to reliably assess the emotional and cognitive component of spider fear, the Spider Questionnaire (SPQ) and Spider Phobia Beliefs Questionnaire (SBQ). Methods: In Study 1, we developed a Czech translation of both scales using a back-translation procedure and then tested their psychometric properties against their English versions in a counterbalanced experimental design using the Mann-Whitney U test and two-sided t-test. In Study 2, we then analysed scores on the Czech SPQ and SBQ on a much larger sample. We also checked for the effect of various personal characteristics (age, gender, level of education, biology background) and other assessments of snake fear (SNAQ) and disgust propensity (DS-R) using a Spearmann correlation, redundancy analysis, and general linear models. Results: In Study 1, we have demonstrated that the Czech SPQ and SBQ are equivalent to their originals and show excellent test-retest reliability (SPQ: 0.928; SBQ: 0.873-0.903). In Study 2, 10.3% of 3 863 subjects in total reached the cut-off point for potential spider phobia. Furthermore, SPQ and SBQ scores were highly correlated (0.727-.0787), significantly more than with the SNAQ (0.208-0.324), which is evidence of the scales’ validity. Two multivariate statistical methods revealed a significant effect of gender, age, level of education, biology background, and disgust propensity on the SPQ scores. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study provides a strong support to the hypothesis that fear of spiders is driven by their disgusting properties as spiders were often associated with decimating epidemics of plague and other diseases that were repeatedly ravaging Europe from the Middle Ages.

The processing of visual food cues during bitter aftertaste perception in females with high vs. low disgust propensity: an fMRI study

An extremely bitter taste can signal food spoilage, and therefore typically elicits disgust. The present cross-modal functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment investigated whether the personality trait ‘disgust propensity’ (DP; temporally stable tendency to experience disgust across different situations) has an influence on the processing of visual food cues during bitter aftertaste perception. Thirty females with high DP and 30 females with low DP viewed images depicting sweet food (e.g., cakes, ice cream) and vegetables, once in combination with an extremely bitter aftertaste (concentrated wormwood tea), and once with a neutral taste (water). Females highly prone to disgust (compared to low disgust-prone females) showed increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and increased mPFC-insula connectivity when presented with the mismatch of a bitter aftertaste and visual cues of sweet food. The ACC is involved in conflict monitoring and is strongly interconnected with insular areas. This connection plays a critical role in awareness of changes in homeostatic states. Our findings indicate that the personality trait DP is associated with cross-modal integration processes of disgust-relevant information. Females high in DP were more alert to food-related sensory mismatch (pleasant visual features, aversive taste) than females low in DP.

Subjective Experience of Disgust

Background: Individual differences in the experience of disgust are known to influence the development and maintenance of several psychopathologies. Aims: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale – Revised (DPSS-R). Method: The factor validity, the reliability of the Portuguese version of DPSS-R, the convergent validity, and the relationship with other scales were assessed in 229 participants. Results: The modified two-factor model, disgust propensity and sensitivity, was confirmed with good fit indexes and with acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, the internal consistency and the composite reliability of the DPSS-R were appropriate. The DPSS-R also revealed significant associations with the Disgust Scale, Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Spider Phobia Questionnaire – Revised, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Specifically, the disgust propensity factor was found to be a significant predictor of fear of spiders and trait anxiety, whereas both DPSS-R factors predicted obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Finally, women reported higher levels of disgust propensity and sensitivity than men. Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the DPSS-R proved to be a valid and reliable measure of disgust propensity and sensitivity and, therefore, with potential relevance for application in both research and clinical practice.

The Emotion of Disgust among Medical and Psychology Students

The emotion of disgust evolved as a way to protect oneself from illness and is associated with aspects of disease avoidance. Disgust Scale–Revised (DS-R) (Olatunji et al., 2008) measures the disgust propensity of three kinds of disgust (core, animal reminder, contamination). Contextual factors, such as academic background, might influence DS-R scoring, especially among medical students, where the notion of disease is central. We examined DS-R scoring and the choice of postgraduate studies in medical (n = 94) and psychology (n = 97) students. In an anonymous web-based survey, participants completed the DS-R and a questionnaire including plans for postgraduate studies. Females outnumbered males and scored higher in total DS-R score (p = 0.003). Psychology students scored higher in all three kinds of disgust (p < 0.001 for core disgust and animal reminder, p = 0.069 for contamination disgust), indicating a higher level of disease avoidance. Medical students willing to follow Internal Medicine scored higher in core disgust (p < 0.05), while psychology students willing to study Experimental Psychology scored lower in the animal reminder subscale (p = 0.019 and p < 0.001 for the association between these subscales and the orientation of Medical and Psychology Students, respectively). In conclusion, disgust propensity as rated by DS-R is related to academic background and orientation preferences in postgraduate studies.