A novel measure of self-reported interoception: The Three-dimensional Interoceptive Sensations Questionnaire

Interoception refers to the ability to perceive internal bodily sensations such as breathing, heartbeats, and the movement of the viscera. This multidimensional construct can be measured using both performance-based methods (e.g., heartbeat counting task) and self-report. Surprisingly, research so far has failed to show strong associations between different measures of interoception. This could be caused by the choice of self-report measures, which often use different operationalizations of interoception and frequently include both non-neutral sensations (e.g., responses to affective states or somatic symptoms) and neutral bodily sensations in different organ systems. To overcome those limitations, we propose a novel measure of interoception, the Three-dimensional Interoceptive Sensations Questionnaire (ThIS-Q), which focuses on the perception of neutral sensations in three domains: respiratory, cardiac, and upper gastrointestinal. In Study 1, a pool of 28 items was presented to a sample of 357 undergraduate students. Exploratory factor analysis with oblique factor rotation performed on this dataset suggested a 3-factor solution with the following interpretation of factors: cardiorespiratory activation, cardiorespiratory deactivation, and gastroesophageal. Items with a primary factor loading >.40 were retained for confirmatory factor analysis which was performed in Study 2 in a sample of 374 adults recruited through Prolific Academic. The analyses supported the 3-factor solution of the 21-item ThIS-Q. All subscale and composite scores had acceptable to good internal consistency reliability. We have also examined construct validity, showing that ThIS-Q scores were positively related to other general measures of interoception, including the Body Awareness Questionnaire. Divergent validity was supported with nonsignificant associations with measures of negative affectivity, anxiety, worry, and symptom-related fear. Taken together, our findings suggest that the ThIS-Q is a valid and reliable measure of interoceptive sensibility. It consists of three scales assessing self-reported perception of neutral sensations from the cardiac, respiratory, and gastroesophageal system. This questionnaire could advance our understanding of interoceptive processes by allowing for the measurement of interoception within as well as between different bodily domains