The Effect Emotion Regulation Difficulties on Interoceptive Awareness and Alexithymia: An Example of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Objective This study investigated the relationships among interoceptive awareness, difficulties in emotion regulation, and alexithymia in a group of outpatients undergoing consultation liaison psychiatry (CLP). Methods Three hundred forty outpatients who applied to the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Department were included in the study. Thirty-four patients who did not complete the questionnaires for various reasons were excluded from the study. Multidimensional Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) were applied to the participants. Statistics were performed with SPSS 21.0. Mediation analysis examined the relationship between interoceptive awareness, difficulties in emotion regulation, and alexithymia. Results It was found that 32% of outpatients who applied to CLP exhibited high alexithymic features. According to the study’s results, interoceptive awareness had a significant negative relationship with difficulty in emotion regulation (r=-0.487, p<0.001). According to mediation analysis, difficulty in emotion regulation mediated the relationship between interoceptive awareness and alexithymia (β=-0.313; 95% confidence interval, -0.405 to -0.227; p<0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrated the mediating effect of emotion regulation difficulties on the relationship between interoceptive awareness and alexithymia in outpatients applying to CLP. The use of interoception-based practices by mental health professionals working with CLP may reduce emotion control and alexithymia symptoms in this patient group.