Exploring Mental Health Distress as a Mediator of Interoceptive Awareness and Alcohol Use Severity: A Test of Alternative Models

ABSTRACT This study examined relationships among interoceptive awareness (the ability to detect and understand internal bodily sensations), alcohol use severity, and mental health symptoms using alternative modeling. Participants ( N = 360) recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk completed measures of interoceptive awareness, alcohol use severity, depression, and anxiety. Structural equation modeling tested three alternative models. The best‐fitting model suggested that depression fully mediated the relationship between interoceptive awareness and alcohol use severity. These findings highlight the complex interplay between physiological awareness, emotional states, and substance use, offering implications for addictions counseling.