PhD Public Defense of Inês Oliveira

Inês Oliveira, a PhD candidate in the Doctoral Program in Psychology, will defend the thesis titled "Sense to act: The role of interoceptive sensibility in adjustment to chronic musculoskeletal pain and intervention design". The public defense is scheduled for May 13, 2026, 14:30 at Sala de Provas, B327 (Building 4) of Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon.

Information about online participation and any updates should be consulted at Iscte's website.

Abstract:

Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Individuals with CMP exhibit disruptions in the self-reported ability to sense, interpret, and self-regulate bodily sensations (interoceptive sensibility; IS), which are linked to poorer CMP adjustment. This thesis aimed to 1) identify trends/gaps in research on the association between bodily experiences and psychological factors of CMP; 2) examine the effects of IS skills on CMP adjustment and their psychological and behavioral mediators; 3) test the feasibility and acceptability of a community-based intervention to increase IS in adults with CMP. These aims were addressed through a scoping review; two cross-sectional studies (N = 173): one examined IS skills in CMP and their psychological and behavioral processes through parallel mediation models; the other identified IS profiles through cluster analysis and their associations with psychosocial factors); and a two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial of the Sense-to-Act intervention. The main findings show that interoception is a promising yet underexplored field in CMP. IS skills have adaptive and less adaptive roles, mediated by psychological and behavioral processes. Integrated analysis of these skills identified three profiles (high-, low-, and mixedskills) associated with CMP adjustment. IS skills are trainable, and the Sense-to-Act intervention was well-accepted, feasible, appropriate, safe, and effective in improving IS and CMP adjustment. These findings demonstrated the role of interoception in the fear-avoidance cycle of pain, thereby refining current CMP models and offering an innovative community-based tool for CMP management.

Members of the jury:

• President: Luísa Lima (Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)

• Wolf Mehling (University of California)

• Catarina Tomé Pires (Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa)

• Carla Moleiro (Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)

• Sónia Bernardes (Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)