Eye-tracking study sheds light on the role of self-disgust in geriatric loneliness

New findings highlight the role of self-disgust in geriatric loneliness, pointing to a mechanism of avoidance. An eye-tracking task found that geriatric adults who were high (vs. low) in self-disgust displayed avoidant viewing when looking at images of their faces. The findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Loneliness is alarmingly common in the older population and has been linked to numerous detrimental outcomes such as difficulty sleeping, risk of cardiovascular disease, and even suicide. Ypsilanti and colleagues wanted to explore a psychological construct that might predispose geriatric adults to loneliness — self-disgust.

Researchers conducted two unique studies. In Study 1, 102 adults between the ages of 55-90 completed the Self-Disgust Scale, which included items like “I find myself repulsive” and “I often do things I find revolting.” Subjects also completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale, and a short version of the State and Trait Anxiety Index for Adults.

After controlling for various demographic variables, results showed that self-disgust was positively correlated with loneliness, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Furthermore, mediation analysis found that self-disgust significantly explained the association between loneliness and anxiety. This new finding is important, the researchers explain, because it sheds light on an emotional process that may influence anxiety in older adults who are especially lonely.

A second study was conducted to explore whether geriatric adults who rank high (vs. low) in self-disgust would avoid looking at images of their own faces. The authors explain, “If this is the case, then levels of self disgust may cause and/or maintain loneliness via avoidance, as the person avoids inflicting their presence on others.”

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A total of 80 adults between the ages of 55-89 participated in an eye-tracking study. Subjects were shown a series of faces and asked to “gaze at them naturally.” Eight of the images were unknown faces and one photo was of the participant’s own face. Each image was shown 6 times for a total of 5 seconds and researchers used an eye tracker to measure vigilance (time to first fixation), maintenance (fixation duration at 1000 ms), and avoidance (changes in fixation duration over time).

Participants also completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Self-Disgust Scale and were separated into either the “high-disgust” group or “low-disgust” group based on their scores. While results showed no differences in the two groups when it came to vigilance and maintenance scores on the eye-tracking task, differences were apparent when it came to avoidance.

Results showed that those in the high-disgust group displayed avoidant viewing at seconds 4 and 5 when looking at images of their own faces, while those in the low-disgust group did not. This suggests that those with high self-disgust scores intentionally avoided stimuli that evoked a reminder of the self (images of their own faces). The authors theorize, “as time passes, the picture depicting their own face may induce dysphoric feelings or dysphoric thoughts representing a negatively valenced schematic representation of the self.”

The researchers express that their findings provide important evidence for the association between self-disgust and psychological issues in older adults. While previous interventions have focused on combating loneliness by strengthening social networks, the authors suggest instead that “interventions for lonely older adults should address issues surrounding self-perceptions and feelings of worthlessness that may contribute to the development of self-disgust.”

The study, “Self-disgust, loneliness and mental health outcomes in older adults: An eyetracking study”, was authored by Antonia Ypsilanti, Anna Robson, Lambros Lazuras, Philip A. Powell, and Paul G. Overton.

(Image by Mihai Paraschiv from Pixabay)