Can the sex differences in disgust sensitivity account for the sex differences in blood-injection-injury fears?

Recent research has shown a positive relationship between disgust sensitivity and blood-injection-injury (BII) fears. This line of research has also found that females report higher levels of BII fears and disgust sensitivity than males. The present study sought to determine if the sex difference in BII fears can be accounted for by the sex difference in disgust sensitivity in a sample of undergraduate participants (N = 162). Using a mediational test, very strong support was found for this view in relation to fear of Blood. The findings in relation to fears of Injections and Blood Draws, of Sharp Objects, of Mutilation, and of Examinations and Symptoms showed that disgust sensitivity was a potent mediator, albeit not both a necessary and a sufficient condition for a mediational effect to occur, thereby pointing to the operation of multiple mediating factors. Research and clinical implications of the predictive capabilities of disgust sensitivity and sex in relation to BII fears are discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.