Are some interoceptive sensibility components more central than others? Using item pool visualisation to understand the psychometric representation of interoception

Abstract

Interoception refers to the processing of stimuli originating within the body and is widely considered a multidimensional construct. However, there remains a lack of consensus regarding the definition and measurement of the subjective, self-reported component, referred to here as interoceptive sensibility. As a contribution to knowledge on the topic, we sought to examine the construct commonality and distinguishability of seven self-report measures of interoceptive sensibility using Item Pool Visualisation (IPV), an illustrative method that locates item pools from within the same dataset and illustrates these in the form of nested radar charts. Adults from the United Kingdom (N = 802) completed seven measures of interoceptive sensibility, and the data were subjected to IPV. Results demonstrated that, of the included measures, the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness-2 provided the closest and most precise measurement of the core interoceptive sensibility construct (i.e., core of the entire investigated item pool). The Body Awareness Questionnaire and the Private Body Consciousness Scale were also centrally located measures, while the Body Perception Questionnaire and the Body Responsiveness Scale appear to tap more distal aspects of the core construct. We discuss implications for interpreting complicated data patterns using measures of interoceptive sensibility and, more generally, for measuring the construct of interoceptive sensibility.

Assessment of the mind-body connection: preliminary psychometric evidence for a new self-report questionnaire

“…subscales, with ND and NW subscales emerging as distinct and unrelated factors. These findings have been corroborated by Desmedt et al [ 35 ] and extended by Todd et al [ 92 ], suggesting that a summary score comprising these six MAIA scales is a pragmatic measure of IS. Whilst interoceptive self-report scales such as the MAIA conceptually consider mind-body integration, these aspects could be enhanced through further scrutiny of related constructs that may improve how the mind-body connection is currently assessed via self-report—primarily through interoceptive self-report scales.…”

Heightened interoception in adults with fibromyalgia

“…An important direction for future research is to more thoroughly examine the nuanced associations between FMS symptoms and different facets of self-reported interoception, as measured by different instruments (e.g., Desmedt et al, 2022;Todd et al, 2022). Current evidence indicates that the relationships between self-reported interoception and FMS symptoms may vary depending on the aspect of self-reported interoception/interoceptive beliefs that is being examined, as well as the measure (as outlined in the Introduction).…”

Interoceptive awareness in a clinical setting: the need to bring interoceptive perspectives into clinical evaluation

“…The resulting 37-item MAIA-2 demonstrates enhanced psychometric robustness, addressing prior concerns without altering the core subscales. The MAIA-2 has the potential to serve as a pivotal tool in measuring interoceptive sensibility, as evidenced by its ranking among the seven leading self-report tests for accurately capturing this construct ( Todd et al, 2022 ). The updated scale, with new items highlighted in bold, is summarized in Table 1 .…”