Anhedonia, a core symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a risk factor for future depressive episodes and is associated with social withdrawal, which may contribute to loneliness-another risk factor for depression. Understanding how anhedonia and its sub-component processes relate to depression and loneliness could reveal key targets for intervention development. We recruited 275 young people (Mage: 20.50) with clinically significant symptoms of depression, indicated by scores ≥27 on the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). Participants completed the Anhedonia Scale for Adolescents (ASA) and its three subscales: ASA-S1 (Enjoyment, Excitement, and Emotional Flattening); ASA-S2 (Enthusiasm, Connection, and Purpose); ASA-S3 (Effort, Motivation, and Drive); and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA) at baseline and at four-month follow-up (N = 173). Multiple regression analyses examined the relationships between anhedonia, MDD, and loneliness, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Cross-sectionally, the ASA total scores (β = .655, p < .001), ASA-S1 (β = .586, p < .001), and ASA-S3 (β = .153, p = .034) were associated with MDD. ASA total scores (β = .651, p < .001), ASA-S1 (β = .397, p < .001), ASA-S2 (β = .196, p < .001), and ASA-S3 (β = .176, p = .018) were associated with loneliness. Longitudinally, ASA total scores (β = .485, p < .001) and ASA-S1 (β = .298, p = .008) predicted MDD, while ASA-S2 showed a trend toward predicting loneliness (β = .099, p = .058). This study highlights how specific anhedonia sub-component processes predict increases in clinically significant symptoms of MDD and loneliness among young people, informing the development of more targeted treatments for anhedonia.
Prizeman et al. (Thu,) studied this question.