He Who Seeks Finds (Bodily Signals)

Author(s)
Markus R Tünte, Tara M. Petzke, Sebastian Brand, Jennifer Murphy, Michael Witthöft, Stefanie Hoehl, Mathias Weymar, Carlos Ventura-Bort
Abstract

Alterations in interoception have been linked to psychopathology. Recent findings suggest that both the attention to and the accuracy of, interoceptive perceptions may be oppositely related to subclinical symptomatology. Thus, providing well-validated tools that tap into these interoceptive processes is crucial for understanding the relation between interoceptive processing and subclinical psychopathology. In the current study (

N  = 642), we aimed to (1) validate the German version of the Interoceptive Attention Scale (IATS; Gabriele et al., 2022), and (2) test the differential association of self-reported interoceptive attention and accuracy with subclinical symptomatology, including alexithymia, depressive, and anxious symptomatology. We observed that a one-factor solution is a well-fitting model for the IATS. Further, the IATS showed good internal consistency, convergent, and divergent validity, but poor test-retest reliability. Self-reported interoceptive attention and accuracy were unrelated to each other. However, IATS scores were positively related to all measures of psychopathology (except depressive symptomatology), whereas self-reported interoceptive accuracy scores showed negative or nonsignificant relations with these. Our data suggest that the IATS is a good instrument to measure self-report interoceptive attention in the German population. Further, we highlight the need to distinguish between constructs of interoception to better understand the relation between interoception and psychopathology.

Organisation(s)
Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology
External organisation(s)
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, University of London, Universität Potsdam
Journal
Journal of Personality Assessment
Volume
106
Pages
787-797
No. of pages
11
ISSN
0022-3891
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2024.2316236
Publication date
2024
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
501005 Developmental psychology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Psychiatry and Mental health, Clinical Psychology, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/9abe347b-4e2e-42df-8dc5-5abd5ca0d8b3