Exploring the Dimensional Structure of Subjective Interoception and the Differential Impact of Abuse and Neglect

Background: Subjective interoception plays a critical role in emotional well-being, but its constituents have rarely been examined. Additionally, little attention has been paid to how abuse and neglect, as two distinct yet often co-occurring dimensions of child maltreatment, may differentially impact subjective interoception. Objective: The present study aimed to examine the dimensional structure of subjective interoception, and how its different dimensions are associated with internalizing psychopathology and are differentially influenced by abuse and neglect. Participants and Setting: Participants (N = 391; Mage = 19.29 years; female: 67.5%; Hispanic: 57.3%) were recruited in 2021-2022 as part of a larger study. Methods: Exploratory graph and confirmatory factor analyses were used to establish the dimensional structure of subjective interoception, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between different dimensions of subjective interoception, abuse and neglect, as well as internalizing psychopathology. Results: The results suggested that subjective interoception was comprised of two dimensions: proactive and reactive interoception. Whereas abuse was positively associated with reactive interoception only, neglect was negatively associated with both proactive and reactive interoception. Proactive, but not reactive, interoception was negatively associated with internalizing psychopathology. Conclusions: The findings provide compelling evidence for the differential impact of abuse and neglect on different facets of subjective interoception, highlighting the significance of considering abuse and neglect as two distinct experiential elements. The results also inspire the idea that emotion-body connection should be considered in future emotional development research

Unveiling the Network and Community Structures of Emotion Dysregulation: Sex Differences and Implications for Anxiety

As aberrant emotion regulation is evident in anxiety disorders, elucidating the relationships between emotion dysregulation processes and anxiety symptoms is of great clinical and theoretical relevance. The goal of the current study is to investigate sex differences in the relationships between emotion dysregulation processes and between emotion dysregulation and anxiety symptoms, using graph-based analyses. Using data from a large and diverse sample (N = 1373, Mage = 19.6 years, female: 67.4%, Hispanic/Latinx: 58.7%) collected in 2021-2022 at a regional university, the findings indicated that: 1) “limited access to emotion regulation strategies” was most strongly associated with the other aspects of emotion dysregulation; 2) emotion dysregulation processes were clustered into antecedent- and response-focused dimensions; 3) there existed minimal biological sex differences in the relationships between different emotion dysregulation processes and how they clustered; and 4) “worrying too much about different things and “becoming easily annoyed or irritable” were the most salient anxiety symptoms associated with emotion dysregulation. The potential directional effects between emotion dysregulation processes and anxiety symptoms were explored. The findings suggested that “limited access to emotion regulation strategies” was the most influential aspect of emotion dysregulation, especially in the context of anxiety, which should be the target for intervention

The development of divergent thinking despite poverty: Moderating factors

Poverty undeniably negatively impacts cognitive development, yet effects vary across children as a function of associated risk factors. Indeed, adverse childhood experiences may influence development in both risk and promotive ways. For example, unpredictability (i.e., variability of stressors and living conditions) may promote children\u27s divergent thinking by providing opportunities to develop cognitive flexibility. This longitudinal study of 250 children (50% female, 46% Latinx) evaluated relations between poverty from birth to age 4 and children\u27s divergent thinking at age 8 as moderated by residential mobility and gender. The results revealed stark gender differences. Boys followed a traditional cumulative risk model wherein residential mobility exacerbated negative effects of poverty on divergent thinking. However, for girls, poverty was not associated with worse divergent thinking at higher levels of residential mobility, demonstrating its protective role. These findings highlight the need for nuanced models of early childhood risk to clarify individual differences in cognitive development