Přehled o publikaci

Objectives: Interoceptive awareness is crucial in mental health research, yet the psychometric characteristics of the most commonly used tool to measure it, the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), have been underexplored, as the results of previous studies have been inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Czech version of the tool (MAIACZ). Method: Participants were sampled from seven clinical sites in the Czech Republic and the final sample consisted of 431 Czech clinical patients (75% women, Mage = 39.20 ± 11.04 years), suffering from various psychiatric diagnoses. Patients were measured weekly across 8 weeks. A combination of factor analysis and network models was employed. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the commonly used eight-factor structure of the MAIA, consistent with the original English version, though subscales Not distracting, Not worrying, and Noticing showed poor internal consistency. Invariance across gender, age, and measurement waves was confirmed using multigroup CFA. Convergence validity was established through correlations between MAIACZ subscales and measures of anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and symptom acceptance. A bootstrapped dynamic network model, conducted over 8 weekly measurement waves, showed the dynamic associations between MAIA subscales and its relation to wellbeing. Conclusions: Contrary to the theoretical model, the temporal graph revealed that the main source nodes were related to the subjective mindset towards interoception, such as the tendency not to worry or distract from bodily signals, rather than the neutral perception of interoceptive stimuli. Well-being was also a prerequisite rather than a consequence of interoceptive awareness-related mechanisms. The Trusting subscale, which has received significant support for its predictive effects in previous literature, was found to be related to wellbeing primarily at the between-person level.