Interoceptive Intervention for Congenital Heart Disease

Adults living with congenital heart disease (CHD) commonly experience physical symptoms alongside emotional and social challenges, which can affect wellbeing and health-related quality of life. Access to psychological services varies, and evidence to guide the development and delivery of psychological interventions for this population is still emerging.

Interoceptive-based approaches focus on increasing awareness of and responding adaptively to internal bodily sensations, such as breathing, heart rate and fatigue. These approaches have shown benefits in other long-term health conditions but have not yet been studied in adults with CHD. This study will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a newly adapted online, skills-based group programme for adults with CHD.

Thirty-two participants will be recruited through the Scottish Adult Congenital Cardiac Service and randomly allocated to one of two cohorts: Cohort 1 (Immediate Intervention) and Cohort 2 (Delayed/Waitlist Intervention). The group programme will consist of eight online sessions delivered by a Principal Clinical Psychologist and a Trainee Clinical Psychologist. Weekly sessions will explore the relationship between interoception and key areas relevant to living with CHD, including emotions, behaviours, and physical symptoms. Group discussions and exercises will focus on increasing awareness and understanding of internal bodily sensations, developing strategies for responding to interoceptive cues and using bodily information to guide behaviours and everyday activities.

Participants will complete online questionnaires before and after the intervention assessing interoception, anxiety, depression and health-related quality of life. Participants will also provide feedback regarding the acceptability and perceived usefulness of the programme. Participation is voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time without affecting their clinical care. Appropriate emotional support will be available should participants experience distress related to the group materials or discussions.

Findings from this feasibility randomised controlled trial will inform further refinement of the group programme, assess the acceptability and feasibility of study procedures, provide estimates of recruitment, retention and outcome variability, and support the design and sample size calculation of a future definitive trial. The findings may also contribute to the enhancement of psychological support for adults with CHD and be disseminated through scientific publications and conference presentations.