The relationship between interoception and stress: An experience sampling study

Interoception, the processing of one’s own body signals, has been related to numerous mental and physical health conditions including stress. However, large discrepancies in the definitions and theories of interoceptive processes have led to important methodological limitations. This has resulted in limitations in our understanding of the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between interoception and mental health, particularly stress. As such, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between interoception and stress using an improved methodological framework for assessing interoception, as well as a multi-measure approach for assessing stress. We predicted that (1) trait and state stress would be negatively associated with objective interoceptive accuracy; (2) trait and state stress would be positively associated with trait self-reported interoceptive attention; (3) trait and state stress would be negatively associated with trait self-reported interoceptive accuracy; and (4) state interoceptive attention would be positively related to trait, state, and physiological stress. Correlational analyses of trait-based measures of interoception and stress demonstrated different relationships between trait interoception and stress. Specifically, trait interoceptive attention was positively associated with self-reported and physiological stress, while trait interoceptive accuracy was only negatively associated with self-reported stress but not physiological stress. Multi-level models of the experience sampling data (state measures) showed positive relationships between state measures of interoceptive attention and state stress. No relationship was found between the objective measure of interoceptive accuracy and trait or state measures of stress. Clinical implications and limitations of the present study are considered.