Relationship between interoceptive sensibility, age, and COVID-19 anxiety during the first national lockdown in the United Kingdom
Relationship between interoceptive sensibility, age, and COVID-19 anxiety during the first national lockdown in the United Kingdom
Objectives: Interoception refers to the multidimensional representation of the internal states of the body, including sensation, appraisal, integration, and regulation. COVID-19 targets internal respiratory, temperature and gastrointestinal systems, thus posing a threat to humans that causes anxiety. Here, we examined the relationship between interoceptive sensibility and COVID-19 anxiety during the first UK national lockdown, when uncertainties surrounding the virus were at their peak.Methods: Between April and July 2020, N = 232 individuals across four age-categories completed questionnaires measuring interoceptive sensibility (BPQ-SF and MAIA-2), an adapted State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess COVID-19 anxiety, and a Perceived Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire.Results: Higher scores on the BPQ-SF were related to higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety, while the MAIA-2 subscales Not Worrying, Attention Regulation, and Trusting of bodily signals were related to lower levels of COVID-19 anxiety. Age was related to lower levels of COVID-19 anxiety yet showed no significant (Bonferroni-corrected) relationship with interoceptive dimensions. Trait anxiety, Not Worrying, perceived quality of work, and COVID-19-related media consumption emerged as significant predictors of COVID-19 anxiety.Conclusion: Findings suggest that interoceptive dimensions differentially relate to COVID-19 anxiety irrespective of age, with implications for managing health anxiety and adaptive behaviour during a pandemic across the lifespan.
Anxiety/epidemiology, COVID-19/epidemiology, Communicable Disease Control, Humans, Interoception/physiology, Quality of Life
2112-2119
Elliott, Jennifer
674ad3ff-079a-48c8-b457-9af27b18b21f
Pfeifer, Gaby
5ad2b108-e9c1-4a06-b41e-ad056977d54d
3 October 2021
Elliott, Jennifer
674ad3ff-079a-48c8-b457-9af27b18b21f
Pfeifer, Gaby
5ad2b108-e9c1-4a06-b41e-ad056977d54d
Elliott, Jennifer and Pfeifer, Gaby
(2021)
Relationship between interoceptive sensibility, age, and COVID-19 anxiety during the first national lockdown in the United Kingdom.
Aging & Mental Health, 26 (10), .
(doi:10.1080/13607863.2022.2026878).
Abstract
Objectives: Interoception refers to the multidimensional representation of the internal states of the body, including sensation, appraisal, integration, and regulation. COVID-19 targets internal respiratory, temperature and gastrointestinal systems, thus posing a threat to humans that causes anxiety. Here, we examined the relationship between interoceptive sensibility and COVID-19 anxiety during the first UK national lockdown, when uncertainties surrounding the virus were at their peak.Methods: Between April and July 2020, N = 232 individuals across four age-categories completed questionnaires measuring interoceptive sensibility (BPQ-SF and MAIA-2), an adapted State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess COVID-19 anxiety, and a Perceived Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire.Results: Higher scores on the BPQ-SF were related to higher levels of COVID-19 anxiety, while the MAIA-2 subscales Not Worrying, Attention Regulation, and Trusting of bodily signals were related to lower levels of COVID-19 anxiety. Age was related to lower levels of COVID-19 anxiety yet showed no significant (Bonferroni-corrected) relationship with interoceptive dimensions. Trait anxiety, Not Worrying, perceived quality of work, and COVID-19-related media consumption emerged as significant predictors of COVID-19 anxiety.Conclusion: Findings suggest that interoceptive dimensions differentially relate to COVID-19 anxiety irrespective of age, with implications for managing health anxiety and adaptive behaviour during a pandemic across the lifespan.
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Published date: 3 October 2021
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© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Keywords:
Anxiety/epidemiology, COVID-19/epidemiology, Communicable Disease Control, Humans, Interoception/physiology, Quality of Life
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 469765
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/469765
ISSN: 1360-7863
PURE UUID: 596f6330-a5f0-4616-bd6c-9ad83b3bbd55
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Date deposited: 26 Sep 2022 16:32
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:15
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Author:
Jennifer Elliott
Author:
Gaby Pfeifer
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