Interoceptive Awareness, Tension Reduction Expectancies and Self-Reported Drinking Behavior

Aims: Recent accounts have suggested the involvement of interoceptive processes in consumption behavior for alcohol and other drugs. However, there is a paucity of empirical support for a direct association with physiologically assessed individual differences in interoceptive awareness (IA). The current research explored this postulated link and examined the interplay with positive outcome expectancies of alcohol consumption. Method: IA of alcohol-dependent adult in- and outpatients was measured with an objective electrocardiogram heart rate tracking task. Tension reduction expectancies (TRE) and drinking compulsions/obsessions were assessed with self-report questionnaires. Results: No direct associations of IA with drinking compulsions/obsessions were found. However, IA and TRE interacted as predictors of drinking compulsions and drinking obsessions. Conclusion: The results corroborate the suggestion that neglect of bodily feedback might be a maintaining factor for drinking behavior.