Revised Social Anhedonia Scale Research Articles

Exploring the Link between Autistic Traits, Emotional Intelligence, and Self-efficacy in Understanding Social Anhedonia

Abstract: Autism severity has been found to be associated with social anhedonia. However, the mechanisms linking the two have not been clarified. Objective: The study was designed to examine the link between autistic traits and social anhedonia. The present study tested a serial mediation model, in which it was hypothesized that emotional intelligence and self-efficacy were serial mediators of the relationship between autistic traits and social anhedonia. Methodology: Data from 245 participants (57.4% females, n = 134) ranging in age from 18 to 65 years were collected through self-report. Participants completed an online composite questionnaire consisting of The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory, the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, The General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale. Results: The relationship between autistic traits and social anhedonia was mediated by emotional intelligence and serially mediated by emotional intelligence and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy alone failed to link autistic traits to social anhedonia. Conclusion: The study provides evidence for the significant role of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy as mechanisms underlying the relationship between autistic traits and social anhedonia. The findings are discussed in terms of elucidating the processes through which autistic traits may confer vulnerability to compromised emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, which then serve as additional risk factors for social anhedonia.

Association between ambient particulate matters and anhedonia among patients with depression

Recent studies have linked ambient air pollution to depression. Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression which severely impacts on prognosis. The present study aims to investigate the association of PM2.5 and PM10 exposure with anhedonia in depressed patients. A total of 538 patients with depression who were hospitalized at the Fourth People’s Hospital of Hefei between June 2017 and December 2021 were included. We estimated ambient particulate matters exposure, including PM2.5 and PM10, using a satellite-based spatiotemporal model at a resolution of 1 km2. The revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) and the revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) were evaluated. The association of ambient particulate matters and anhedonia was examined using multiple linear regression models, adjusted for potential confounders. We observed that exposure to PM2.5 were significantly associated with increased RSAS score and RPAS score, with the major effect in the 12-month exposure window (β = 1.238; 95%CI, 0.353, 2.123) and 18-month exposure window (β = 1.888; 95%CI, 0.699, 3.078), respectively. Meanwhile, PM10 levels were also significantly associated with increased RSAS score and RPAS score, with the major effect in the 18-month exposure window (β = 1.220; 95%CI, 0.439, 2) and 3-month exposure window (β = 1.602; 95%CI, 0.062, 3.143), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that both PM2.5 and PM10 were significantly associated with anhedonia in females, patients < 40 years old, low family income group, and those who had a higher educational level. Our study suggests that long-term PM2.5 and PM10 exposure are associated with more severe anhedonia in patients with depression. These associations were different in subgroup by age, gender, family income, and educational level.

The Associations of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte, Platelet-Lymphocyte, Monocyte-Lymphocyte Ratios and Immune-Inflammation Index with Negative Symptoms in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII index) are increasingly used as indicators of inflammation in different conditions, including schizophrenia. However, their relationship with negative symptoms, including anhedonia, is largely unknown. Included were 200 patients with schizophrenia and 134 healthy controls (HC), assessed for physical anhedonia (PA), using the Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS), and social anhedonia (SA) by the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS). Patients were rated by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS) and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS). Most of the negative symptoms were in a weak to moderate positive correlations with blood cell inflammatory ratios, namely, between NLR and MLR with PANSS negative scale, CAINS, and BNSS, and in male patients, between PLR and PANSS negative scale and CAINS. Fewer correlations were detected in females, but also in a positive direction. An exception was SA, given the negative correlation between its severity and the SII index in females, and its presence and higher PLR in males. While different negative symptoms were associated with subclinical inflammation, the relationship between SA and lower inflammatory markers deserves further exploration.

The Relationship between Social Anhedonia and Perceived Pleasure from Food-An Exploratory Investigation on a Consumer Segment with Depression and Anxiety.

Anhedonia, the diminished ability to experience pleasure, is a key symptom of a range of mental and neurobiological disorders and is associated with altered eating behavior. This research study investigated the concept of anhedonia in relation to mental disorders and the perception of pleasure from food to better understand the link between anhedonia and eating behavior. A consumer survey (n = 1051), including the Food Pleasure Scale, the Chapman Revised Social Anhedonia Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, was conducted to explore the perception of pleasure from food among people with anhedonic traits. Comparative analyses were performed between people with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety and people with no symptoms of these conditions. A segmentation analysis was furthermore performed based on three levels of anhedonia: Low, Intermediate and High anhedonia. Thus, insights into how food choice and eating habits may be affected by different levels of anhedonia are provided for the first time. Our findings showed that the 'Low anhedonia' segment found pleasure in all aspects of food pleasure, except for the aspect 'eating alone'. 'Eating alone' was, however, appreciated by the 'Intermediate anhedonia' and 'High anhedonia' segments. Both the 'Intermediate anhedonia' and 'High anhedonia' segments proved that their perceptions of food pleasure in general were affected by anhedonia, wherein the more complex aspects in particular, such as 'product information' and 'physical sensation', proved to be unrelated to food pleasure. For the 'High anhedonia' segment, the sensory modalities of food were also negatively associated with food pleasure, indicating that at this level of anhedonia the food itself is causing aversive sensations and expectations. Thus, valuable insights into the food pleasure profiles of people with different levels of anhedonia have been found for future research in the fields of mental illness, (food) anhedonia, and consumer behaviors.

Physical and social anhedonia are associated with suicidality in major depression, but not in schizophrenia.

This cross-sectional study investigated the association of physical and social anhedonia with suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), schizophrenia, and in non-psychiatric controls. All participants completed the revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) and the revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) and were subdivided according to positive life-time suicide attempt history. MDD patients were evaluated with the Montgomery-Ãsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), healthy respondents with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and schizophrenia patients with the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). In 683 study participants, the prevalence of each anhedonia was the highest in MDD, followed by schizophrenia, and lowest in the control group. Among MDD patients, those with physical and social anhedonia had greater rates of recent suicidal ideation, while a higher frequency of individuals with life-time suicide attempts was detected in those with only social anhedonia. In contrast, no association between either anhedonia and life-time suicide attempts or recent suicidal ideation was found in patients with schizophrenia. Assessing social and physical anhedonia might be important in MDD patients, given its association with both life-time suicide attempts and recent suicidal ideation. Suicidality in schizophrenia, while unrelated to anhedonia, might include other risk factors.

A novel construct of anhedonia revealed in a Chinese sample via the Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales

BackgroundAnhedonia is a core clinical symptom of mental disorders. The Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) have been applied in clinical and non-clinical samples since 1980s. However, the construct of a unified RPAS&RSAS for comprehensive measurement of anhedonia has never been explored. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to examine the factor structure of the unified RPAS&RSAS among undergraduates and clinical patients.MethodsA total of 3435 undergraduates from two universities and 294 clinical patients with mental disorders had completed the Chinese version of the RPAS and the RSAS. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were each conducted to reveal the constructs of the RPAS and the RSAS. CFA was used to evaluate first- and second-order models for the unified RPAS&RSAS in undergraduates and clinical patients. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the RPAS and the RSAS were also evaluated.ResultsEFA and CFA indicated 2-factor structures for RPAS and RSAS, with the factors being defined as anticipatory anhedonia and consummatory anhedonia. The second-order model of the unified RPAS&RSAS in the undergraduates and clinical patients both had satisfactory fit index values (Undergraduate sample: CFI = 0.901, TLI = 0.899, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.086; Clinical sample: CFI = 0.922, TLI = 0.911, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR = 0.078). The psychometric robustness of the RPAS&RSAS were confirmed by high internal consistency and test-retest reliability values.ConclusionsThe unified RPAS&RSAS with a second-order structure was confirmed in both undergraduates and clinical samples in Chinese. The construct of anhedonia was refreshed as covering physical and social domains, and each of them includes both anticipatory and consummatory components.

Vitamin D supplementation improves anxiety but not depression symptoms in patients with vitamin D deficiency.

ObjectiveEpidemiological evidence indicated a relationship between vitamin D (VD) and depression with anxiety, but their therapeutic relationship has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to examine whether VD supplementation would relieve symptoms in patients with depression and anxiety with low serum 25‐hydroxy VD [25(OH) D] levels.MethodParticipants with low 25(OH)D levels were randomized to control or daily VD group and were followed up for 6 months. Serum concentrations of 25(OH) D were measured using commercial kits. Psychological symptoms were evaluated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale‐17 (HAMD‐17), Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), Revised Physical Anhedonia scale (RPAS), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale‐14 (HAMA‐14). The trial was listed in the trial registration (http://www.medresman.org.cn/uc/index.aspx; NTR number: ChiCTR2000030130).ResultsIn this clinical population, no significant difference in depression symptoms was detected between VD group and control group at both baseline and at the endpoint of our study. The HAMD‐17, RSAS, and RPAS scores did not change significantly between VD and control groups from baseline to endpoint (all p > .05). However, there was a significant difference in time effect of the total HAMA‐14 scores between the two groups (β [95% Cl] = −2.235 [−3.818, −0.653], p = .006).ConclusionsVitamin D supplementation could improve the anxiety symptoms but not depressive symptoms in depressive patients with low VD level after the 6‐month intervention.

Social anhedonia and social functioning: Loneliness as a mediator.

Social anhedonia is associated with reduced social functioning and diminished reward from social interactions. Individuals expressing social anhedonia are likely to experience reduced social connectedness and feel lonely. Loneliness is also associated with reduced social functioning. Therefore, loneliness could account for the relationship between social anhedonia and social functioning. We aimed to determine whether loneliness mediates the relationship between social anhedonia and reduced social functioning. In total, 824 young adults (M age = 21.03, SD = 5.59; 72.3% female) completed the Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, and the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). Scores on thee SFS were summed into six subscales: Social Withdrawal, Relationships, Social Activities, Recreational Activities, Independence (Competence), and Independence (Performance). Negative affect (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 [DASS] total score) was included as a covariate. Both the RSAS and the UCLA Loneliness Scale were negatively correlated with overall and all social functioning subscales. The DASS-21 positively correlated with all variables of interest. Mediation analyses revealed that loneliness partially mediated the relationship between social anhedonia and the social functioning subscales, with the exception of Recreational Activities. However, loneliness was a full mediator for the relationship between social anhedonia and overall social functioning. The study findings suggest that targeting loneliness in interventions may be important for improving various aspects of social functioning in those individuals who express social anhedonia.

Validation and extension of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy in the Chinese setting.

The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) is a commonly used instrument in empathy research. However, this scale has not been validated in the Chinese context. We examined the psychometric properties and structure of the QCAE in a Chinese sample consisting of 1224 college students. The whole sample was split into two halves for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 617) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 607). A subsample (n = 351) completed the Chinese versions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to examine convergent validity and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) to examine the discriminate validity. Finally, 79 participants of the above subsample were retested after a 4-week interval. Results from EFA and CFA suggested a five-factor model, namely Perspective Taking, Online Simulation, Emotional Contagion, Proximal Responsivity, and Peripheral Responsivity. The internal consistency was .86 and test-retest reliability was .76. Scores on the QCAE positively correlated with scores on the IRI and negatively correlated with scores on the RSAS. The Chinese version of the QCAE exhibited good factor structure, reliability, and validity. Specific relationships between empathy and social anhedonia were also demonstrated.

The Predictive Value of the NEO-FFI Items: Parsing the Nature of Social Anhedonia Using the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale and the ACIPS.

The goal was to examine the nature of social anhedonia using two validated measures and study their relationship to scores on the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Nearly 1,900 college-aged participants completed the Chapman Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS), and the NEO-FFI. Although both the RSAS and ACIPS were associated with the NEO-FFI domains of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, linear regression analyses revealed that the RSAS and ACIPS were differentially predicted by NEO-FFI item clusters. The RSAS scores were predicted by Sociability, Nonantagonistic Orientation, Positive Affect, and Activity item clusters. The ACIPS scores were predicted by Sociability, Prosocial Orientation, Activity, and Positive Affect item clusters in addition to gender. In summary, it appears that social anhedonia is multidimensional, associated with various personality domains encompassing social approach and withdrawal.

Evidence for the Discriminant Validity of the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale From Social Anxiety

Social anhedonia and social anxiety are two constructs with similar behaviors including avoidance of and withdrawal from social situations. In three studies, the current research aimed to test whether social anhedonia could be discriminated from social anxiety using the most common measure of social anhedonia, the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS). In Study 1, an item-level factor analysis of the RSAS found two factors: Social Apathy/Aversion and Social Withdrawal. In Study 2, this two-factor structure was confirmed in a separate sample. In Study 3, a model with social anhedonia and anxiety scale scores loading on separate factors fit better than a model with social anhedonia and anxiety loading on a single factor. Social anhedonia and anxiety displayed differential associations with negative schizotypy and emotion processing. Findings suggest that the RSAS is successful in measuring social anhedonia distinct from social anxiety.

Адаптация методики диагностики социальной ангедонии (RSAS) на российской выборке

Anhedonia (or hypohedonia) reflects a missing or reduced ability to experience pleasure. Interest in the concept of clinical psychology and psychopathology is due to the high significance of violations of ability to experience pleasure as a predictor of serious mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, chemical dependency. For under- standing the psychological deficits of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders is of particular importance to social anhedonia, reflecting the reduced ability to experience interest and pleasure from interactions with socially relevant stimuli and partners, and is implicated in disorders of social cognition, to social exclusion of patients. Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) was designed to assess the severity of social anhedonia, tested in many countries, widely used in studies of schizophrenia. The problem of estimating the psychometric characteristics of the test RSAS, including the validity of the technique has become part of the project for the study of social cognition in mental disorders (grant funds of the Russian Science Foundation, Project № 14-18-03461). This article presents the results of the evaluation of the psychometric characteristics of RSAS and the applicability of the methodology for the Russian sample. The study was performed by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (grant № 14- 18-03461) at the Federal Medical Research Centre of Psychiatry and Narcology under the Ministry of Public Health of the Russian Federation.

Anhedonia in schizophrenia: The role of subjective experiences

BackgroundHigh levels of anhedonia have been found in patients with schizophrenia; specifically they report higher levels of social anhedonia rather than physical anhedonia, and further, in the anticipatory rather than consummatory facets of pleasure. Nonetheless, contrasting results emerged regarding the underlying mechanisms of this deficit. Basic Symptoms (BS) disturb subjective experiences present for most of the illness’ course; this impacts patients’ daily lives leading to a loss of the ability to organize the experience of the self and the world in a fluid and automatic way. Considering the role played by negative emotions in the subjective evaluation of anhedonia, the aim of the study is to clarify the role of BS in the assessment of anhedonia in a sample of patients with schizophrenia (n=53) compared with healthy controls (n=46). MethodsParticipants completed a self-administered trait questionnaire evaluating social anhedonia (Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale), physical anhedonia (Physical Anhedonia Scale), and the consummatory and anticipatory pleasure experiences (Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale). BS were evaluated with the Frankfurter Beschwerde-Frageboden (FBF) whereas psychopathology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale. ResultsPatients scored higher than healthy controls in social, physical and anticipatory anhedonia, but not in consummatory anhedonia and these relationships were mediated by the FBF. Basic Symptoms of Memory, Overstimulation and Lack of Automatism were related to some facets of anhedonia, independently from depressive symptoms. ConclusionsWe hypothesize that a subjective cognitive deficit and a reduced ability in information processing, could prevent patients from retaining a positive experience from past pleasant activities. Therefore the lack of pleasure would be, at least in part, related to an avoidance of potentially stressful new scenarios.

Relationship between anhedonia and empathic deficits in schizophrenia

Objective To compare the levels of anhedonia in schizophrenic patients with those in normal population, and to explore the relationship between anhedonia and empathic deficits. Methods A total of 200 schizophrenic patients and 275 healthy subjects were assessed with Chinese Version of Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS-C), Chinese Version of Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS-C) and Chinese Version of Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI-C). Results (1) The patients had higher scores of RSAS-C(13.21±6.06) and RPAS-C(18.98±8.57) than thoese of the healthy subjects(10.51±5.20 and 16.82±7.96 respectively, P<0.05), and the total score of IRI-C and the subscores of perspective taking, fantasy and empathy concern for patients were significantly lower than those of healthy subjects (P<0.05). (2) The scores of RSAS-C(r=-0.170, P<0.05) and RPAS-C(r=-0.275, P<0.01) showed negatively correlation with the total empathy score in patients, and it still had significant statistical meaning of correlation after controlling the total score of PANSS . Conclusion Patients with schizophrenia have anhedonia and empathic deficits, and the correlation between the two emotional processing deficits suggest that anhedonia may share a common pathophysiological basis with the impairment of empathy. Key words: Anhedonia; Empathy; Schizophrenia

DISC1 Conditioned GWAS for Psychosis Proneness in a Large Finnish Birth Cohort

BackgroundGenetic evidence implicates the DISC1 gene in the etiology of a number of mental illnesses. Previously, we have reported association between DISC1 and measures of psychosis proneness, the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) and Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS), in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC66). As part of the studies of this Finnish birth cohort genome-wide association analysis has recently been performed.MethodologyIn the present study, we re-analyzed the genome-wide association data with regard to these two measures of psychosis proneness, conditioning on our previous DISC1 observation. From the original NFBC66 sample (N = 12 058), 4 561 individuals provided phenotype and genotype data. No markers were significant at the genome-wide level. However, several genes with biological relevance to mental illnesses were highlighted through loci displaying suggestive evidence for association (≥3 SNP with P<10E-4). These included the protein coding genes, CXCL3, KIAA1128, LCT, MED13L, TMCO7, TTN, and the micro RNA MIR620.ConclusionsBy conditioning a previous genome-wide association study on DISC1, we have been able to identify eight genes as associating to psychosis proneness. Further, these molecules predominantly link to the DISC1 pathway, strengthening the evidence for the role of this gene network in the etiology of mental illness. The use of quantitative measures of psychosis proneness in a large population cohort will make these findings, once verified; more generalized to a broad selection of disorders related to psychoses and psychosis proneness.

Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales across Gender and Age

The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales are among the most widely used instruments for the assessment of psychosis proneness. The main goal of the present work was to study the dimensional structure underlying the Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPhA), the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS) and the Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS). It was also explored whether the dimensions underlying these scales were invariant across gender and age. The sample was made up of 710 university students with a mean age of 19.8 years (SD = 1.9). The results showed that the dimensional structure of the Wisconsin scales was similar to that found in previous studies, displaying a Positive dimension and a Negative dimension, the Social Anhedonia Scale being related to both dimensions. Moreover, the factor structure of the schizotypy scales was found to be invariant across participants' gender and age.

Psychometric Properties of the Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales in Non-Clinical Young Adults

Anhedonia, a central dimension within the schizotypy construct, has been considered to be a promising vulnerability marker for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPhA) and Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) are two self-reports widely used in the assessment of anhedonia; however, they psychometric characteristics have been scarcely investigated in Spanish population. The objective of the current work was to study the psychometric properties of the Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales in non-clinical young adults. The sample was composed of 728 college students with a mean age of 20.1 years (SD = 2.5). The data indicated that the scales showed adequate psychometric characteristics. The Cronbach alpha was 0.95 (RSAS) and 0.92 (RPhA) respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis carried out on the matrix of tetrachoric correlations showed that both scales presented an essentially unidimensional solution. The Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales seem to be adequate for psychosis-risk assessment in non-clinical populations. Future research should further investigate the construct validity in other populations and cultures as well as study its relation to emotional aspects and cognitive endophenotypes.

The psychometric detection of schizotypy: do putative schizotypy indicators identify the same latent class?

The authors examined whether three indicators of Schizotypy, the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), and Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS), identify a common latent class or taxon as conceptualized by P. E. Meehl (1962, 1990). The separate and joint latent structures of these scales were evaluated using taxometric methods in two large, independent samples. Replicating prior findings, the RSAS and PAS each identified latent taxa with base rates approximating.10. Results for the taxonicity of the MIS were less consistent. Analyses of joint latent structure indicated that the RSAS-identified taxon was essentially independent of constructs measured by the PAS or MIS. Measures commonly thought to tap the same latent class, conjectured to be schizotypy, do not share this property.