Academic Journal
The relationship between interoception and anxiety, stress and obsessive-compulsive disorders in adult clinical populations - A systematic review and narrative synthesis.
| Τίτλος: | The relationship between interoception and anxiety, stress and obsessive-compulsive disorders in adult clinical populations - A systematic review and narrative synthesis. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Snell L; School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK., Garner M; School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK., Pfeifer G; School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK., Morriss J; School of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. Electronic address: j.morriss@soton.ac.uk. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of affective disorders [J Affect Disord] 2026 Oct 01; Vol. 410, pp. 121961. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 14. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Systematic Review; Journal Article; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7906073 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-2517 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01650327 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Affect Disord Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Amsterdam, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Anxiety*/physiopathology , Anxiety*/psychology , Interoception*/physiology , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder*/physiopathology , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder*/psychology , Stress, Psychological*/physiopathology , Stress, Psychological*/psychology, Anxiety Disorders/physiopathology ; Anxiety Disorders/psychology ; Panic Disorder/physiopathology ; Panic Disorder/psychology ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/physiopathology ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology ; Adult ; Humans ; Generalized Anxiety Disorder |
| Περίληψη: | Interoception, defined as the perception of internal bodily states, has emerged as a key mechanism implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety-related disorders. This systematic review synthesises evidence on the relationship between interoception and anxiety in adult clinical populations, with a specific focus on how distinct interoceptive dimensions (i.e., accuracy, attention, and beliefs) relate to different anxiety, stress and obsessive-compulsive presentations. A systematic search was conducted across PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science (last updated April 2025). Thirty-three studies met inclusion criteria across the reviewed clinical conditions, including generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD), employing self-report, behavioural, and neuroimaging measures across cardiac, respiratory, and gastrointestinal axes. Evidence supports both shared and disorder-specific interoceptive profiles. Panic disorder and GAD were most consistently associated with heightened interoceptive attention and altered accuracy, particularly during threat-related tasks. OCD was characterised by maladaptive interoceptive beliefs and elevated attention towards bodily sensations. Evidence for PTSD and SAD was limited, precluding firm conclusions. Neuroimaging findings indicated altered functional connectivity within interoceptive brain networks. Many of the studies were published within the past five years, reflecting accelerating interest in this area. While interoception appears as a transdiagnostic dimension relevant across anxiety disorders, the current evidence base is mixed and shaped by methodological variability. Nonetheless, emerging interoceptive patterns support the potential clinical utility of targeting interoceptive processes. Greater standardisation and cross-cultural considerations are needed to guide future research and clinical translation. (Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors confirm that there are no conflicts of interest to declare. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Anxiety; Generalised anxiety disorder; Interoception; Interoceptive accuracy; Interoceptive attention; Interoceptive awareness; Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Panic disorder; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Social anxiety disorder; Systematic review |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260515 Date Completed: 20260606 Latest Revision: 20260609 |
| Update Code: | 20260609 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121961 |
| PMID: | 42140322 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1573-2517 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121961 |