He Who Seeks Finds (Bodily Signals): German Validation of the Interoceptive Attention Scale (IATS) and its Relationship with Subclinical Psychopathology.

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

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-11
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Personality Assessment
Early online date13 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 13 Mar 2024

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 501005 Developmental psychology

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