The mediating role of disgusting sensitivity in the relationship between temperamental dimensions and panic disorder

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of disgusting sensitivity in the relationship between temperament dimensions and panic disorder.

The present research design is descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the present study was all students of Urmia University in the academic year 2017-2018, of which 377 were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Students completed Temperament and character Inventory (Cloninger, Svrakic & Przybeck,1993), They completed The Disgust Scale((Haidt. 1994) and the The Panic-Associated Symptom Scale( Liebowitz, 1984). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. Smart-PLS software has also been used to classify, process, analyze data and test research hypotheses.

In the present study, the indirect path coefficient between the reward dependency (p <0.01, β = -0.309) and perseverance (p <0.01, -0 = 0.096) was significant with negative panic disorder at the level of 0.01. Indirect path coefficient between harm avoidance (p <0.01, β = 0.013) with panic disorder was positive and significant at the level of 0.01.

These findings confirm the role of Temperament in causing panic disorder and indicate the increasing attention to biological principles in the treatment of panic disorder. The present proposed pathological model can also help to better understand the role of disgust in psychological trauma and the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapies in people with anxiety disorders, including panic disorder.