Is it disgusting or am I just easily disgusted? The relation between situational disgust, dispositional disgust, and colonoscopy intentions

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide (Torre et al., 2015), and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States (CDC, 2017). Colonoscopy screening can detect CRC and pre-cancerous polyps at an early stage, which has been shown to reduce CRC incidence and mortality (Knudsen

Assessing Fear, Embarrassment, and Disgust in Colonoscopy: The Development of Measurement Instruments and Psychometric Evidence

“…Given the lack of valid instrumentation for emotions in colonoscopy (Klasko-Foster et al, 2020;Reynolds et al, 2013), the present study provides a useful tool to clarify different possible roles of each emotion in colonoscopy screening and informs future interventions to improve colonoscopy uptake.…”

“…First, handling body products was commonly reported by patients as a main reason for disgust (Chapple et al, 2008; Reynolds et al, 2013). Second, disgust is elicited by invasive procedures, including surgical access to internal organs that break into the integrity of one’s body (Klasko-Foster et al, 2020). Third, colonoscopy exposes patients to symptoms and diagnoses of cancer that signals mortality (Reynolds et al, 2013).…”

“…Several elicitors of disgust related to colonoscopy have been identified in qualitative studies and have yet to be quantified (Reynolds et al, 2013). While these studies have recognized that core disgust resulted from prototypical elicitors, such as body waste, disgust associated with other elicitors is not fully understood (Klasko-Foster et al, 2020; Reynolds et al, 2013). As a result, suitable measurement tools for different disgust elicitors are not available (Reynolds et al, 2013), limiting the understanding of the effects on screening uptake.…”

“…For example, disgust of death could motivate screening, but disgust of body waste could increase avoidance (Reynolds et al, 2013). Third, the lack of valid measurement tools further impedes the theoretical understanding of emotions in colonoscopy (Klasko-Foster et al, 2020; Reynolds et al, 2013).…”

“…Recent attention has been paid to the unique role of emotions in colonoscopy avoidance (Reynolds et al, 2013). Negative emotions, including fear, embarrassment, and disgust, can be simultaneously evoked by multiple issues throughout the colonoscopy procedures, such as handling stool or exposing private body parts (Bynum et al, 2012; Klasko-Foster et al, 2020). Assessing various causes of each negative emotion that are associated with different issues in the screening procedures can better predict screening behaviors and develop more effective interventions (Reynolds et al, 2018).…”