The brain-body link: The impact of trauma on interoceptive awareness & the presence of psychosomatic symptoms in adolescents, a community sample

Background: Interoception, the perception of one's internal bodily signals, has been suggested as an important underlying mechanism in psychological and physical issues. Traumatic childhood experiences may lead to a reduction in interoception, which may lead to issues with emotion regulation. Little research has explored the impact of trauma and interoception on the development of psychosomatic symptoms. Aims: This study aimed to explore the role of interoception in the presence of psychosomatic symptoms in adolescents and understand the impact of trauma on interoceptive awareness and psychosomatic symptoms. This study also sought to explore the impact of emotional and behavioural issues on psychosomatic symptoms and interoceptive awareness. Method: A cross-sectional design was employed for this study involving 66 children aged 9-14 from a community sample. Participants completed self-report questionnaires, followed by a clinical interview by a clinician using the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (UCLA) with children who had a self-reported traumatic experience. Results: A total of 65.2% of participants self-reported a traumatic experience, and 24.2% of participants were identified as having a traumatic experience according to the UCLA. 6.1% of participants were found to meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. Interoceptive awareness was not associated with the presence of somatic symptoms. However, older children and children with greater emotional issues were found to exhibit higher levels of psychosomatic symptoms. Children with traumatic experiences, according to UCLA, did not have a higher frequency of psychosomatic symptoms. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence for the prevalence of self-reported trauma in a child community population and the possible relationship between emotional issues and psychosomatic symptoms. However, the results of this study are preliminary with a small sample size and more research is needed.