Development of an experimental mood induction procedure for self-disgust.

Self-disgust, or disgust elicited by one or multiple aspects of the self, has been associated with a variety of psychological disorders and symptoms. While some preliminary research suggests self-disgust may have a causal role in psychopathology, no experimental methods for manipulating self-disgust had existed prior to this study, precluding rigorous assessment of whether self-disgust may contribute to the development of various psychological phenomena. The current study sought to address this gap in the literature by being the first to develop and pilot a mood induction procedure (MIP) for self-disgust. A sample of 204 undergraduate students were randomized to one of three conditions, in which they received either the self-disgust MIP, a MIP for general disgust (i.e., disgust towards stimuli external to oneself), or a neutral control procedure. Additionally, these MIPs were delivered both online and in person, to assess whether modality impacted their effectiveness. In line with the study hypothesis, the self-disgust MIP led to a statistically significant increase in state self-disgust, providing support for the effectiveness of this novel MIP. However, the general disgust group also led to a statistically significant increase in state self-disgust, and there were no significant differences in the change in state self-disgust between these groups, indicating that there is room to improve the discriminant validity of these MIPs. Lastly, no significant differences were found in the effectiveness of the MIPs when delivered online versus in-person, suggesting that an online modality is an acceptable means of delivering these MIPs.

Name thesis:degree_name

Psy.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Trout, Zoe M., 1993-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Fergus, Thomas A.

• Self-disgust.
• General disgust.
• Mood Induction Procedure (MIP)
• Psychological disorders.
• Symptoms.
• Online versus in-person.
• Undergraduate students.
• Study hypothesis.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13135

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13135