An empirical test of the association between disgust and sexual assault

Research has increasingly suggested disgust is related to sexual assault. The current study uniquely contributed to this literature by comparing retrospective ratings of disgust reported by 63 adolescents (ages 10.08 to 17.92 years) in relation to sexual and physical assaults. As hypothesized, participants were more likely to endorse the presence of disgust during sexual as compared to physical assault. The intensity of disgust was also rated higher by sexual assault victims. Additionally, adolescents who reported exposure to both types of assault rated the sexual assault as more disgusting. These findings support ongoing work linking disgust to sexual assault. Directions for future research are considered in order to further our understanding of the implications of an association between disgust and sexual assault for the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms.