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Psychological Correlates of Interoceptive Perception in Healthy Population

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Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health (MindCare 2019)

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Abstract

Investigating awareness of internal state of the body (i.e. interoception) is a promising field in the neuroscience domain. Evidence indicated interoceptive alterations in a wide variety of conditions. However, among literature, there is a consistent lack of information regarding the psychological correlates of interoceptive awareness (IA) in healthy population.

Methods: 54 subjects performed a complete interoceptive assessment for accuracy (IAc), metacognitive awareness (IAw), and sensibility (IAs) measured through M.A.I.A questionnaire. Subjects also performed psychological assessment for depression (BDI), anxiety (BAI), state and trait anxiety (STAI), and eating disorders (EDI-3) risks. Results: IAc and IAw positively correlated across the whole sample and IAw strongly positively correlated with several MAIA subscales. Significant negative correlations were also found with state anxiety and depressive symptoms. Female subjects exhibited a different interoceptive pattern with a negative relationship between IAc and BMI, and IAw and state anxiety. Conversely, male subjects exhibited a positive relationship between IAw and BMI, and IAc and Age, while IAw showed a negative relationship with state anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Perception of internal state of the body and relative metacognitive awareness appeared only partially connected. Different interoceptive patterns between male and female subjects appeared primarily related to specific body perceptions rather than gender differences. Considering the relationship between interoception and wellbeing, knowledge regarding how interoceptive processes work could help develop tailored technological interventions that utilize interoceptive treatments and multisensory stimulation to enhance human well-been through technology.

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Acknowledgments

GR was funded by the MIUR PRIN research project ‘‘Unlocking the memory of the body: Virtual Reality in Anorexia Nervosa’’ (201597WTTM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli, 1, 20100, Milan, Italy

    Daniele Di Lernia & Giuseppe Riva

  2. MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neurosciences University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland

    Silvia Serino

  3. Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Via Magnasco, 2, 20149, Milan, Italy

    Giuseppe Riva

Authors
  1. Daniele Di Lernia
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  2. Silvia Serino
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  3. Giuseppe Riva
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Correspondence to Daniele Di Lernia .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy

    Pietro Cipresso

  2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Silvia Serino

  3. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy

    Daniela Villani

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© 2019 ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Di Lernia, D., Serino, S., Riva, G. (2019). Psychological Correlates of Interoceptive Perception in Healthy Population. In: Cipresso, P., Serino, S., Villani, D. (eds) Pervasive Computing Paradigms for Mental Health. MindCare 2019. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 288. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25872-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25872-6_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-25871-9

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