The relationship between psychological well-being and interoceptive awareness in Kurdish adolescents: a perspective of cognitive-body integration

This study examines the relationship between psychological well-being and interoceptive awareness in adolescents. Psychological well-being includes positive functioning in various aspects, including autonomy, control over the environment, personal growth, positive interactions with others, meaning in life, and self-acceptance. Interoceptive awareness, in turn, is the conscious perception of internal bodily sensations such as breathing, heartbeat, and emotional signals. Both concepts are considered extremely important for mental health. This research fills a gap in understanding how awareness of internal bodily sensations relates to the state of psychological well-being during adolescence, which is regarded as one of the most critical periods for mental personality development. The methodology includes a cross-sectional study involving 313 adolescents aged 12–18 years, attending schools in Iraqi Kurdistan. Participants completed Kurdish versions of the "Psychological Well-Being Scale" by K. Ryff and the "Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness" by V. Mehling. The novelty of the study lies in exploring the relationship between psychological well-being and interoceptive awareness in an under-researched ethnocultural sample of Kurdish adolescents, who remain outside the focus of systematic research. The results demonstrated acceptable reliability of both translated questionnaires. Participants reported a moderate level of psychological well-being and interoceptive awareness. A significant positive correlation was found between overall psychological well-being and overall interoceptive awareness. The parameters most strongly associated with psychological well-being were trust, observation, and emotional awareness, while positive relationships with others showed the strongest correlation with interoceptive awareness. No significant differences in psychological well-being were found between male and female adolescents, although female participants scored significantly higher on the observation subscale.