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Background: Perceiving a threat as constantly evolving, coming closer and escalating quickly can result in looming vulnerability (LV). LV may be a distal factor in contamination-based OCD (C-OCD) influencing disorder-specific mechanisms such as disgust. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about three components of LV: speed, proximity and acceleration, and their influence on the relationship between disgust and C-OCD symptoms.

Methods: 119 participants with subclinical C-OCD symptoms imagined four out of seven versions of a disgusting bathroom scene, varying in speed (slow/fast), proximity (farther away/closer), and acceleration (constant/exponential). These six dynamic conditions were compared to a static description. T-tests and a Bayesian multilevel model were used to assess differences in perceived dynamics of threat, disgust responses, and to examine the moderating role of C-OCD symptoms on responses to the experimental conditions.

Results: Threats in the dynamic conditions were perceived as significantly faster, closer, and more accelerated than in the static version. A difference within dynamic dimensions only emerged between the farther away and closer conditions. The Bayesian model showed a moderating effect of C-OCD symptoms leading to higher levels of disgust in the dynamic conditions, but not within the static condition.

Limitations: Without baseline disgust and LV measures, the specific contributions to disgust and LV for each condition remain unclear.

Conclusion: By showing that imagining dynamic contamination only elicits stronger disgust in individuals with higher C-OCD symptoms, the results support the idea of LV as a distal factor influencing symptom-maintaining factors in C-OCD such as disgust.