| Summary: | 博士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 心理學研究所 === 106 === Aging well promotes not only the quality of life of individuals, but also the positivity of society. According to the perspective of Baltes and his colleagues, the usage of “selection-optimization-compensation (SOC)” process leads to better psychological adaptation to aging. In the SOC process, loss-based selection (LBS) is crucial when facing loss. However, how to facilitate LBS is not well established by empirical evidence yet. According to cognitive appraisal and goal-setting theory, “to appraise loss objectively” facilitates LBS. Interoception is used to explore how individuals perceive own physiological signal. Interoceptive awareness (IA) is the representation of one’s own physiological state as a whole, and is regarded as “trait-like” attribution. Empirical evidences support that cardiac IA is related to multiple psychological processes. However, the operation definition of individual differences of cardiac IA was limited in “accurate” vs. “inaccurate” in previous study. By integrating the research of respiratory IA, depressive emotion, symptom amplification and symptom underestimation, the present study suggest that the nature of interoception is a continuum from overestimated (i.e., hyperinteroceptive) to underestimated (i.e., hypointeroceptive), and “accurate” is the midpoint of the continuum. The role of interoception in psychological adaptation to aging was explored by the continuously defined IA. There are two main purpose of this study. First, in order to investigate the nature of interoception, the measurement and index of cardiac interoceptive continuum were established. The reliability and criterion-related validity (psychosomatic symptom disturbance as the criterion) of the index were examined, also the change with age. Second, the effect of LBS on psychological adaptation when facing loss, and possible influences of age and IA were explored. A total of 125 participants were recruited in community and through internet, including 46 male, age between 20 to 81 (52.02 ± 18.09) years old. Participants were divided into young, mid age, and old adults. IA index was measured and computed by heartbeat detection task following mood-induction task. Demographical data, LBS scale, psychosomatic symptom checklist, Negative Emotions due to Chronic Illness Screening Test, and WHO-QOL BREF were administrated by self-report. Results revealed that the IA index developed in this study showed satisfied internal consistency and situational stability. However, the criterion-related validity is not evidenced. The interoceptive accuracy did not change with age. However, the subjects distributed differently across the whole interoceptive continuum, and tend to be more hyperinteroceptive with age increasing. The multiple regression analysis about LBS showed that: (1) After controlling with age, the more LBS participants used to face loss, the more negative psychological adaptation outcome is, including negative emotions, general health satisfaction, mental quality of life (QOL) and social QOL. (2) The interaction of age and LBS was found. Only among the middle age adults, when loss is present, higher LBS predict higher psychosomatic symptom disturbance and better physical QOL. (3) After controlling with age, when IA is accurate and loss is present, higher LBS predict better physical and mental QOL. When IA is hypointeroceptive and loss is present, higher LBS predict higher psychosomatic symptom disturbance and worse mental QOL; however, when loss is not present, higher LBS predict better mental QOL. When IA is hyperinteroceptive and loss is present, higher LBS predict lower psychosomatic symptom disturbance and better physical QOL; however, when loss is not present, higher LBS predict worse physical QOL. In sum, when facing loss, accurate IA and hyperinteroception facilitate LBS, but hypointeroception damages LBS. However, when loss is not present, hyperinteroception damages LBS, but hypointeroception facilitates LBS. The present study established the new perspective and measurement of interoceptive awareness, and explored LBS as a coping process. According to the results, interoceptive continuum shows phenomenal change across age and its effect on other psychological process. LBS is not always good to individuals, and middle age is important that coping style is changing. Interoceptive awareness shows differential effect on coping efficiency with accurate, hyper-, and hypointeroception. Results contribute in clinical application and future direction.
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