Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Anhedonia Scale for Adolescents and Identification of the Subpopulation with Prominent Anhedonia

Adolescent anhedonia (AA) exhibits distinct characteristics. Currently available anhedonia scales in Chinese are designed solely for adult populations. This investigation assessed the psychometric characteristics of the Chinese Anhedonia Scale for Adolescents (ASA-C) across clinical, subthreshold, and typically developing adolescent cohorts, while establishing its optimal cut-off for prominent anhedonia identification. The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adolescent anhedonia was concurrently examined. Random allocation divided participants into exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) validation sets. While internal consistency was evaluated in all groups, other psychometric properties were examined exclusively in major depressive disorder (MDD) participants. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted on the full sample to identify distinct subgroups. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis determined the optimal diagnostic threshold based on derived classifications. The Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) quantified dimensional characteristics of childhood adversity. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a bifactor structure for the ASA-C (ie, positive and negative factors). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that this two-factor model exhibited satisfactory fit and achieved measurement invariance across all three groups. The scale displayed satisfactory internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity. Latent profile analysis (LPA) classified the full sample into two distinct subgroups. A cut-off value of 20.5 was determined to be most effective for identifying marked anhedonia. Moreover, significant correlations were observed between adverse childhood experiences and total scores on the ASA-C. The ASA-C demonstrates robust reliability and validity for assessing anhedonia in Chinese adolescents, serving as a valuable tool for community screening, clinical assessment, and research applications.