The Specific Roles of Loss of Interest and Loss of Pleasure in Recent Suicidal Ideation

Abstract

Background

Evidence suggests that recent changes in anhedonia may be more predictive of suicidal ideation than either state or trait anhedonia alone. However, the individual role that anhedonia symptoms play in suicidality is not yet well established.

Methods

This study investigated whether state, trait, and recent changes in anhedonia predicted recent suicidal ideation, using cross-sectional data from two independent samples, one non-clinical (n = 2,138) and one clinical (n = 859), using binary logistic regression analyses.

Results

In Study 1, loss of interest in people and loss of pleasure were associated with recent suicidal ideation independent of other depression symptoms, state and trait anhedonia. In Study 2, loss of interest in people, loss of interest in sex, and work inhibition were associated with recent suicidal ideation. In both studies, recent changes in anhedonia was uniquely associated with recent suicidal ideation.

Conclusions

These results indicate that recent changes in anhedonia and particularly the social aspect of the Loss of Interest in People item could be a significant risk factor in suicidal ideation.

Keywords:

• Anhedonia
• depression
• recent changes
• state
• suicidality
• trait

AUTHORS CONTRIBUTION

XHY designed this study, interpreted the data and wrote up the first draft. YX contributed to data collection. LGY interpreted the clinic data. Phillippa commented significantly on the manuscript.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province [2019JJ40118], the Foundation of Hunan Provincial Education Department [18A113] to XHY.

Notes on contributors

Xinhua Yang

Xinhua Yang, Department of Psychology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Centre for Affective Disorders, Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK.

Xian Yuan

Xian Yuan, Department of Psychology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Guangya Liu

Guangya Liu, Department of psychiatry, Brain Hospital of Hunan province, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Phillippa Harrision

Phillippa Harrision, Centre for Affective Disorders, Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK