Questionnaires of interoception do not assess the same construct

PLoS One. 2022 Aug 23;17(8):e0273299. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273299. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

There are a number of questionnaires assessing the self-reported trait-like aspect of interoception, also called interoceptive sensibility (ISb). Based on the varying purposes of their development and characteristics, however, it is not likely that they assess exactly the same construct. In a community sample of 265 adults, we examined this assumption for three commonly used questionnaires of ISb, namely the Body Awareness subscale of the Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ-BA), the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ), and the eight subscales of Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). We investigated their associations, and their relation to positive and negative affect and somatosensory amplification. According to the results of correlation analysis, BPQ-BA, BAQ and MAIA were partly unrelated to each other, partly showed weak to moderate positive associations. Also, differences with respect to their association with positive and negative affect were found. These findings suggest that the investigated questionnaires cannot be used interchangeably to assess the subjective aspect of interoception, and the term ISb is not appropriately defined.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Awareness
  • Correlation of Data
  • Humans
  • Interoception*
  • Self Report
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Hungarian National Scientific Research Fund [K 124132]. Website: https://nkfih.gov.hu/for-the-applicants. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.