Validation of the Snaith—Hamilton Pleasure Scale to assess anhedonia in patients with unipolar depression In Russia

Objective. To analyze the factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and the prognostic significance of the Snaith—Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) in the Russian population of patients with monopolar depression. Material and methods. This multicenter cross-sectional study included patients with monopolar depression (age 18—74):those with a current depressive episode (n=242, 61.6% females) and those in remission (n=49, 73.5% females), as well as healthy subjects in the control group (n=324, 65.4% females). All participants underwent a structured interview to verify the clinical diagnosis and a psychometric examination. Data analysis was performed using the R programming language in RStudio version 4.4.0. Results. The analysis of the main components revealed the three-factor structure of SHAPS, reflecting sensory pleasure, social pleasure, and pleasure from daily activities. The internal consistency of the scale was good (Cronbach’s α=0.82 95% CI 0.79—0.85). SHAPS demonstrated high convergent and discriminant validity: patients with a current depressive episode had significantly higher scores compared to those in remission (6 2.3—9 vs. 2 0—3, p=2.2·10–9) and healthy subjects (6 2.3—9 vs. 0 0—1, p=2.2·10–16). The correlation analysis showed a moderate association with the Montgomery—Asberg Depression Rating Scale (ρ=0.31, p=9.2·10–7), while the correlations with the scales measuring other latent constructs were not significant (p>0.05). The ROC analysis revealed the optimal cut-off values: ≥8 points to distinguish between the current depressive episode and remission, and ≥5.5 points to distinguish between the current depressive episode and the absence of the disease. Conclusion. The study demonstrated for the first time the validity of the Russian-language version of SHAPS in a sample of patients with monopolar depression.