Abstract/Summary

Background Anhedonia, the loss of interest and pleasure, is a core symptom of depression that is resistant to treatment. Anhedonic young people describe a weakened sense of self and reduced meaning in life. Knowing if these experiences predict anhedonia could reveal novel targets for intervention development. Methods We recruited young people (N = 429, mean age: 20 years) with a range of depression scores. Using path analysis, we examined anhedonia, sense of self, meaning in life, and prosocial behaviours cross-sectionally and longitudinally at ~5-month follow-up (N = 160). Results Cross-sectionally, sense of self (β =. 81, p < .001) and prosocial behaviours (β = 0.37, p < .001) had direct effects on meaning in life, and meaning in life had a direct effect on anhedonia (β = −0.11, p < .001). Sense of self (β = −0.09, p < .001) and prosocial behaviours (β = −0.04, p < .001) had indirect effects on anhedonia, mediated by meaning in life. In the longitudinal analysis, sense of self at T1 had a direct effect on meaning in life at T2 (β = 0.36, p < .01) and an indirect effect on anhedonia at T2 (β = −0.05, p < .01), mediated by meaning in life. Limitations Approximately 70 % of the participants were female. Future studies should include equal numbers of males and females. Conclusion We provide novel evidence that targeting meaning in life, sense of self, or prosocial behaviours in psychotherapeutic interventions could be effective in alleviating anhedonia.