Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA): validity and reliability for a Colombian community context

Objective: This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) in a Colombian community sample. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 487 Colombian people. Participants completed an online survey that included the MAIA and International Fitness Scale (IFIS). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the scale's internal structure, reliability analyses (Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, Guttman's lambda 6, and Greatest Lower Bound) were performed at both the overall and factor levels, and test-retest reliability. Correlations with perceived physical condition indicators (as evidence of convergent validity) were also examined. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the dimensional structure of the scale, with adequate goodness-of-fit indices (CFI = .991; GFI = .990; NFI = .988; RMSEA = .070). Intercorrelations among the MAIA dimensions provided evidence of construct reliability, with high values above .80 for six of the eight factors, acceptable values around .50 for factor 2, and low values only for factor 3. Test-retest reliability was high (rho = .717, p < .001). Direct correlations were found between perceived physical condition and some dimensions of the MAIA, as evidence of convergent validity. Conclusion: The MAIA demonstrated adequate evidence of internal structural validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and adequate reliability for measuring interoceptive awareness in a healthy Colombian population. The use of the MAIA to assess interoceptive awareness is recommended in future research as a tool for the prevention of mental and physical health conditions. Further studies are recommended to analyze its metric quality in other populations.