Interoceptive self-report profiles in patients with endometriosis

Purpose Interoception is central in pain perception and processing and has been associated with individual differences in psychological wellbeing. Interoceptive self-report (SR) refers to the subjective evaluation of one’s tendency to sense and interpret internal sensations. Endometriosis is a systemic disease characterised by persistent visceral pain, highlighting the importance of interoceptive processes in patients who suffer from this condition. Methods We studied interoceptive SR profiles in endometriosis patients, focusing on assessing their relations with psychological and pain-related outcome factors. In total, 122 endometriosis patients filled out the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) for interoceptive SR, along with other questionnaires, including health-related quality of life of women with endometriosis (EHP-30), symptoms of anxiety/depression (HADS), pain catastrophising (PCS), childhood adversities, and resilience (RS14). We conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis, using the subscale scores from the MAIA-questionnaire. Results Four interoceptive SR profiles were identified and named according to the appearance of interoceptive SR dimensions as Attentive ( n = 16), Hypo-responsive ( n = 26), Balanced ( n = 50), and Hypervigilant–distrustful ( n = 30). Patients in the Balanced group showed stable patterns across different interoceptive SR dimensions and reported better psychological wellbeing than patients in the other groups. Patients in the Hypervigilant-distrustful group were characterised by worry about uncomfortable bodily sensations and low trust in their bodily sensations. They also reported poorer psychological wellbeing than patients in the other groups. Conclusions Our findings shed light on the importance of taking interoceptive tendencies into account when tailoring more individualised interventions for patients with endometriosis. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT03834922, registration date: 2019-02-07.