The mediating role of interoception in the relationship between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress in adults.
- 1Department of Counselling and Psychology, LC 855, Library Complex, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong.
- 2Department of Counselling and Psychology, LC 855, Library Complex, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Braemar Hill, North Point, Hong Kong. [email protected].
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress, examining interoceptive awareness as a potential mediator in adults. A cross-sectional online questionnaire was administered to 312 non-clinical participants (M = 38.26 years) from five countries (America, Britain, China, India, and Nigeria). Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). Furthermore, mediation analysis demonstrated that interoceptive awareness, particularly the "Not-Distracting" dimension, partially mediated this relationship (β = 0.079). Individuals with higher anaemia-like symptoms scores reported greater avoidance of uncomfortable bodily sensations, which was in turn associated with greater psychological distress. A reversed mediation model testing psychological distress as a predictor of anaemia-like symptoms yielded a non-significant total indirect effect, suggesting the proposed model may better account for the observed mediation pattern. This study identified an association between physical symptoms and psychological outcomes through interoceptive awareness, particularly highlighting the role of avoidance of bodily sensations in the psychological well-being of individuals with anaemia-like symptoms.
Related
- The Relationship Between Menopausal Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Menopausal Women: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility
- The relationship between the number of chronic conditions and depressive symptoms in older adults with multimorbidity: the chain mediating role of psychological resilience and sleep quality
- Gender Differences between Cyberbullying Victimization and Problematic Smartphone Use: The Longitudinal Mediating Effects of Psychological Distress and Fear of Missing Out
- The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Adolescent Psychological Distress: A Latent Transition Analysis
- Exploring the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between emotional distress and quality of life in celiac disease.
BibTeX
@article{poon2026mediating,
title = {{The mediating role of interoception in the relationship between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress in adults.}},
author = {Ka-Hung Poon and Yini Tang and Bess Yin-Hung Lam},
journal = {Discover mental health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1007/s44192-026-00561-x},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955485},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The mediating role of interoception in the relationship between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress in adults.
AU - Ka-Hung Poon
AU - Yini Tang
AU - Bess Yin-Hung Lam
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/03
JO - Discover mental health
DO - 10.1007/s44192-026-00561-x
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955485
AB - This study investigated the relationship between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress, examining interoceptive awareness as a potential mediator in adults. A cross-sectional online questionnaire was administered to 312 non-clinical participants (M = 38.26 years) from five countries (America, Britain, China, India, and Nigeria). Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between anaemia-like symptoms and psychological distress (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). Furthermore, mediation analysis demonstrated that interoceptive awareness, particularly the "Not-Distracting" dimension, partially mediated this relationship (β = 0.079). Individuals with higher anaemia-like symptoms scores reported greater avoidance of uncomfortable bodily sensations, which was in turn associated with greater psychological distress. A reversed mediation model testing psychological distress as a predictor of anaemia-like symptoms yielded a non-significant total indirect effect, suggesting the proposed model may better account for the observed mediation pattern. This study identified an association between physical symptoms and psychological outcomes through interoceptive awareness, particularly highlighting the role of avoidance of bodily sensations in the psychological well-being of individuals with anaemia-like symptoms.
SN - 2731-4383
ER -