Anhedonia associated with stimulant use and dependence in a population-based sample of American adults.

Abstract

Prior research suggests an association between anhedonia—diminished interest or pleasure in rewarding activities—and stimulant use in selected samples. However, it is unclear whether this association generalizes to the overall population and is consistent across stimulant drug types (amphetamine vs. cocaine) and outcome characteristics (any lifetime use vs. dependence). Questions also remain as to whether the anhedonia–stimulant relationship is unique from covariance with depressed mood, psychiatric disorders, and nonstimulant substance use. The current study addressed these questions by examining anhedonia–stimulant relationships in a cross-sectional population-based sample of 43,093 American adults. Results indicated that lifetime anhedonia and depressed mood each were positively associated with lifetime stimulant use and lifetime dependence among those who reported stimulant use. Anhedonia–stimulant relationships were consistent across amphetamine- and cocaine-related outcomes and distinct from covariance with depressed mood, which exhibited no association over and above the effect of anhedonia. After adjusting for demographic, psychiatric, and nonstimulant substance use characteristics, anhedonia–stimulant associations remained significant, although effect sizes were partially attenuated. Lifetime anhedonia was also more prevalent among respondents who initiated use but did not eventually progress to dependence in comparison with individuals who never once used a stimulant drug. Anhedonia appears to be uniquely associated with lifetime use of cocaine and amphetamines and lifetime progression from use to dependence in the American population. Albeit cross-sectional in nature, these findings add further support to the generalizability and specificity of the anhedonia–stimulant relationship. Future research utilizing longitudinal and experimental designs are warranted to clarify the underpinnings of this association.

Evaluation of anhedonia with the Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) in adult outpatients with major depressive disorder

“…The demonstration and similarity of good psychometric properties of the SHAPS between the two studies, with different mean levels of depression severity and hedonic experience of the two outpatient samples, provides further support for its use in both clinical and research settings of adults with MDD. However, given that anhedonia may reflect a transdiagnostic trait that plays a role in various psychopathologies (e.g., Cohen et al, 2011;Kashdan et al, 2006;Leventhal et al, 2010;Watson and Naragon-Gainey, 2010), future studies are indicated to evaluate the reliability, validity, and utility of the SHAPS across various diagnostic groups and perhaps across various age groups (broad-spanning from adolescents to geriatric patients). Evaluation of the SHAPS across such specific diagnostic groups as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, substance use disorder, and recurrent suicidality, for example, may contribute to a more accurate characterization of relevant individual differences in depressive pathology.…”

Where Is the Pleasure in That? Low Hedonic Capacity Predicts Smoking Onset and Escalation

“…Indeed, other studies have demonstrated associations between anhedonia and use of other drugs, including cocaine and amphetamine ( Leventhal et al, 2008( Leventhal et al, , 2010, cannabis ( BonnMiller, Zvolensky, Marshall, & Bernstein, 2007 ;Dorard, Berthoz, Phan, Corcos, & Bungener, 2008 ;Dumas et al, 2002 ;Johnson, Bonn-Miller, Leyro, & Zvolensky, 2009 ), and opiates ( Zijlstra, Veltman, Booij, van den Brink, & Franken, 2009 ). Regardless of whether low hedonic capacity may confer risk to other drugs of abuse, the current study suggests that this trait may be an important variable to identify youth at risk for smoking.…”

Psychiatric Disorders and Amphetamine Dependency - A Comparative-Analytical Study

“…Majority of studies in this field have focused on the relationship between amphetamine and psychotic disorders spectrum [1,13] and other psychiatric disorders usually neglected and also in case of assessment the effects of amphetamine, was the association of amphetamine and psychiatric symptoms such as Anhedonia 14 . The Novel point of this study is that it studies comprehensive range of psychiatric disorders with respect to Amphetamine dependency.…”