Thesis title: Exploring the Contribution of Interoception Dissociation, Anxiety and Depression
This thesis explores the relationship between interoception, dissociation, anxiety and depression through two complementary studies. Study 1 presents a systematic review examining associations between interoceptive processes and dissociative symptoms across clinical and non-clinical populations. Findings reveal consistent negative associations between interoceptive sensibility and dissociation, particularly for dimensions like bodily trust, while results for interoceptive accuracy were more mixed. Study 2 investigates whether sport practice moderates the relationship between interoceptive sensibility and anxiety/depression in university students. Results indicate that regular sport engagement attenuates the association between heightened interoceptive awareness and anxiety symptoms, not with depression. Together, these studies suggest interoceptive sensibility plays an important role in psychological wellbeing, with embodied practices like sport potentially buffering against maladaptive bodily awareness. The findings are interpreted through predictive processing models of interoception and have implications for understanding mechanisms of dissociation and anxiety.