Possible Association Between Interoception and Alexithymia in Patients With Addiction

Interoception has been reported to be associated with several psychiatric disorders, including addiction. Alexithymia refers to difficulties in identifying and describing one's own emotions and has also been linked to addictive disorders. However, the relationship between self-reported interoceptive sensitivity and alexithymia in patients with addiction remains insufficiently understood, particularly when current distress and functional impairment are considered. In this study, we examined the relationship between the Body Perception Questionnaire-Body Awareness very short form Japanese version (BPQBAVSFJ), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), and the Distress and Impact Thermometer (DIT) in 94 patients with addiction. BPQBAVSFJ was significantly correlated with TAS-20 (Pearson r = 0.405, p < 0.001; Spearman rho = 0.458, p < 0.001). This association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, distress, and impact (B = 0.271, 95% CI = 0.105-0.438, p = 0.002). Distress showed a weak bivariate association with BPQBAVSFJ, whereas impact did not. In the multivariable model, neither distress nor impact independently predicted BPQBAVSFJ. No significant differences in BPQBAVSFJ were observed among the six addiction subtypes or between substance-related and behavioral addictions after adjustment for age and sex. These findings suggest that self-reported interoceptive sensitivity in patients with addiction may be more closely associated with alexithymia than with current distress or functional impairment.