Young adults (18-25) have more independence when it comes to their behaviors and life choices, including how much and when to sleep and eat. This newfound independence can put them at increased risk for circadian rhythm disruptions and problematic eating, but this critical life stage is also ripe for intervention and prevention. The InSIDE Study seeks to examine the role of interoceptive dysfunction as a mechanistic link between sleep irregularity and eating dysregulation in emerging adults using intensive longitudinal assessment. This project was made possible through funding from the Sleep Research Science Foundation.
The PRISM Study is in collaboration with community-based partners in Pittsburgh committed to improving maternal health equity, particularly in Black women. The project’s goal is to evaluate if interoceptive changes are prospectively associated with sleep disturbances during pregnancy, particularly among Black pregnant women, who face disproportionate perinatal sleep burdens linked to gendered racial stress. The proposed project represents an important first step in a larger program of research that will investigate interoception as a modifiable, biobehavioral intervention target to buffer the harmful physiological and psychological effects of discrimination during pregnancy. This project was funded by the Equity in Maternal and Birthing Outcomes and Reproductive Health through Community Engagement (EMBRACE) Center of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh.
Pregnancy is a profoundly life-changing experience that often alters the way birthing people relate to their bodies and internal experiences. However, there has been limited research on interoceptive changes across the perinatal period, and less still on how this relates to sleep and cardiovascular health postpartum. The SIMBA Study seeks to play a role in remedying the lack of research on this topic. This study is in its planning stages and has been submitted for extramural research support. The goal of the study is to use multimethod assessment and mixed methods to examine interoceptive changes across pregnancy and how they relate to multidimensional sleep and cardiometabolic outcomes.
Recently Completed Studies
A primary focus of Dr. Kinkel-Ram’s graduate research was examining if and how experiences of stigma/discrimination can lead individuals to dissociate from their bodily connection, leading to disruptions in interoception and downstream negative health outcomes. The WISE Study was Dr. Kinkel-Ram’s dissertation project, funded through the Miami University Dissertation Scholarship. We used a multi-method, experimental design to investigate if individuals randomly assigned to experience weight stigma were less connected to bodily sensations and related increased risk for binge eating. Findings showed that young adults exposed to weight stigma actually restricted during an ad lib test meal, and individuals with impaired interoception had intentions for future binge eating and restriction. Read more here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666325002132
Shruti Kinkel-Ram 