Academic Journal
The relationship between self-reported interoception and depression: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis.
| Title: | The relationship between self-reported interoception and depression: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis. |
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| Authors: | Jenkinson PM; Faculty of Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, The Cairnmillar Institute, Melbourne, Australia., Leuzzi R; Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences 'Luigi Sacco', University of Milan, Milan, Italy., Dean CE; School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, UK., Clarke AT; School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, UK., Mash J; School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, UK., Laws KR; School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, UK. Electronic address: k.laws@herts.ac.uk. |
| Source: | Journal of psychosomatic research [J Psychosom Res] 2026 Jun; Vol. 205, pp. 112632. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 06. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Systematic Review; Meta-Analysis |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Pergamon Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0376333 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-1360 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00223999 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Psychosom Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Oxford : Pergamon Press Original Publication: London. |
| MeSH Terms: | Interoception*/physiology , Depression*/physiopathology , Awareness*/physiology , Self Report*, Humans |
| Abstract: | Background: Emerging research highlights interoceptive dysfunction as a potential mechanism underlying depression. Whereas physiological measures of interoception (e.g., cardiac accuracy tasks) have shown inconsistent associations with depression, subjective self-report measures may provide greater insight. However, no previous meta-analysis has synthesised evidence on self-reported interoception and depression. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science identified 49 studies (N = 21,755) meeting our inclusion criteria. A three-level meta-analysis was conducted to account for nested effect sizes. Primary analyses focused on the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), with secondary analyses including other self-report tools. Moderator analyses tested study design, depression and interoception measures, age, sex, and publication year. Study quality was evaluated using the AXIS tool. The review was preregistered on the OSF (https://osf.io/vq62p/?view_only=6fb11fb930194ebe9a67091154023fe0). Results: Self-reported interoception was significantly associated with depression as assessed using the MAIA and several other measures of interoception. Depression measure moderated the strength of association, as did study design (for the MAIA only), with larger effect sizes for between-group designs than within-group designs. Participant age, sex and publication year were not significant moderators in any analyses. Conclusions: Depression is reliably linked to self-reported interoceptive dysfunction, particularly in domains that involve the metacognitive evaluation and regulation of bodily states. Our findings reinforce the view of interoception as a multidimensional construct and identifies specific interoceptive capacities, such as trust in bodily signals, self-regulation, and not worrying, as promising targets for psychological interventions aimed at reducing depression. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest None declared. |
| Comments: | Erratum in: J Psychosom Res. 2026 Jul;206:112680. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112680.. (PMID: 42002505) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Affect; Awareness; Depression symptoms; Interoception; Self-report |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260319 Date Completed: 20260711 Latest Revision: 20260803 |
| Update Code: | 20260803 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112632 |
| PMID: | 41856002 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1879-1360 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112632 |