(PS2-20) Perceived Interoceptive Detection as a Mechanism of Aging in Individuals with Acute Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract Text: Perceived interoceptive detection (i.e., one’s perceived ability to recognize changes in body sensations) plays a role in higher-order cognitive processing (e.g., decision-making) and has been linked to both physical and mental health conditions. One’s ability to notice bodily sensations typically declines with advancing age, which could have implications for behavioral health in the context of aging. It is possible that individual differences in interoceptive detection may interfere with disease management and that this association may be conditional on age. To test this hypothesis, we examined age as a moderator of the effect of perceived interoceptive detection on obstruction to valued living – a key target in disease management. Patients aged 40 years or older (N = 78; Mage=65.1±11.1 years, Min=42; Max=87 years; 64.6% male) with acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) completed self-report measures of perceived interoceptive detection (i.e., sensitivity to changes in internal body sensations in the past week) and obstruction to valued living per the Obstruction subscale from the Valuing Questionnaire (VQ). The model accounted for a significant 21.5% of the overall variance in valued living obstruction (F[3, 74] = 6.740, p = 0.004). Perceived interoceptive detection was directly associated with greater valued living obstruction (p=.007). The interaction between perceived interoceptive detection and age accounted for 5% of unique variance in valued living obstruction (p=.0295). The positive association between perceived interoceptive detection and obstruction to valued living was significant in patients in mid-life but not in later-life. Specifically, the conditional effect of perceived interoceptive detection on obstruction to valued living was significant for patients aged 71 years or younger, which reflected 64% of the patients in this sample. In conclusion, interoceptive detection can be conceptualized as a psychophysiological mechanism of aging that may interfere with valued living for adults as they approach later-life.