The Differential Relationship between Self-Reported Interoceptive Accuracy and Attention with Psychopathology:A Latent Variable Approach

Abstract

Background: Only recently has interoception been discussed as a common risk factor for psychopathology. Recent approaches distinguish between the ability to accurately perceive (interoceptive accuracy) and the propensity to attend (interoceptive attention) to internal signals. Objective: To examine the latent structure of self-reported interoceptive accuracy and attention and their relationships to psychopathology. Methods: We used a confirmatory factor analysis to clarify the latent structure of interoceptive accuracy and attention. Structural equation modeling was utilized to determine relationships between both abilities with internalizing and somatoform symptomatology according to the HiTOP model (Kotov et al., 2017). Data from N = 619 persons from the German general population were analyzed. Results: Interoceptive attention showed significant positive relationships with all psychopathological traits (r = .221 to r = .377), whereas interoceptive accuracy was negatively associated with internalizing symptomatology (r = -.106). Conclusion: The present findings indicate that personal beliefs about interoceptive abilities have different influences on psychopathological developments.