Association Between Interoception and Emotion Regulation in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

Introduction: Sensing body-related information includes interoceptive sensibility (the tendency to focus on internal body sensations) and accuracy (precision in perceiving real internal processes). Interoception and emotion regulation have both been linked to alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the association between these factors have not been investigated within a clinical group of individuals with AUD. Objectives: The current study examines associations between emotion regulation and interoceptive accuracy and sensibility among individuals with AUD and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: The sample comprised 165 individuals meeting criteria for AUD and 110 HCs. Interoceptive sensibility was assessed with a self-report measure (the Private Body Consciousness subscale) and interoceptive accuracywith a behavioral measure (the Schandry test). Emotion regulation domains: non-acceptance of negative emotions, inability to engage in goal-directed behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions, limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies, and lack of own emotional awareness and clarity were assessed with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Associations between interoception and emotion regulation were assessed while controlling for sleep problems, depressive symptoms, age, and sex. Results: Higher interoceptive accuracy was negatively associated with DERS subscale of non-acceptance of negative emotions in the AUD group (but not in the HC group). Higher interoceptive sensibility was significantly associated with problems in controlling impulsive behaviors when experiencing negative emotions. This association was moderated by symptoms of AUD. Higher interoceptive sensibility was associated with higher emotional awareness, but only in the HC group. Conclusions: Individuals with AUD who are more interoceptively accurate may be more effective in regulating their emotions. On the other hand, individuals with AUD who are

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“…Using this task, recently abstinent iAUD exhibit lower IA than healthy controls (CTL), with lower IA linked to greater self-reported alcohol craving [ 31 ]. Jakubczyk and colleagues [ 32 ] replicated and extended this finding, showing that iAUD have both lower IA and higher emotional dysregulation (measured by self-report) than CTL. Furthermore, lower IA in iAUD was associated with poorer self-reported ability to accept emotional distress.…”

“…Within iAUD, poor awareness or ability to identify emotional states has been identified as a risk factor for future alcohol use; it is argued that as these individuals are unable to accurately identify their emotional experiences and cope effectively, they instead turn to alcohol for relief from bodily sensations [ 33 ]. This finding suggests that improving IA and, therefore, one’s ability to identify and describe somatic states, may reduce risk of using alcohol consumption as a coping mechanism [ 32 ].…”

A real-world ten-week follow-up of the COVID outbreak in an outpatient drug clinic in Salamanca (Spain)

“…Based on previous crises, some authors have suggested that the main mechanism that affects the increase in alcohol consumption is the increase in stress levels, promoted by the economic difficulties, social isolation, and uncertainty about the future ( de Goeij et al, 2015 ; Rehm et al, 2017 )After the SARS crisis of 2003, in a group of 800 Hong Kong residents who were regular drinkers, 4.7% of the men and 14.8% of the women reported an increase in alcohol consumption after 1 year ( Lau, Kim, & Tsui, 2005 ). Research should consider this population's capacity for self-regulation and self-awareness, because individuals with AUD who are more interoceptively sensitive may have problems controlling their behaviors while experiencing negative emotional states ( Jakubczyk et al, 2020 ). In our case, the number of first visits motivated by an increased consumption of drugs during the confinement was very similar in the two periods considered in our study: most of the cases were transferred from the emergency department and from different mental health care teams after being discharged from the short-stay unit of the hospital.…”

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“…Further evidence of an impaired association between HEP amplitudes and heartbeat perception accuracy in depressive patients suggested the imbalance of allostasis in MDD ( 34 ). In addition, many researchers had reported the relationship between emotional information processing and interoception in psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety ( 35 ), alcohol use disorder ( 36 ), and functional neurological symptom disorder ( 37 ). However, previous research studies on interoception mainly focused on somatic symptoms in MDD ( 27 , 38 ).…”