The emotional signature of anhedonia in depression and psychosis in daily life: Developing a fine-grained and temporal understanding using advanced Experience Sampling Methods

Project Information

EMOTE

Grant agreement ID: 101063326

DOI

10.3030/101063326

Project closed

EC signature date 10 August 2022

Start date 1 February 2023

End date 31 January 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 191 760,00

Coordinated by

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EMOTE (The emotional signature of anhedonia in depression and psychosis in daily life: Developing a fine-grained and temporal understanding using advanced Experience Sampling Methods)

Reporting period: 2023-02-01 to 2025-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Depression and psychosis in adolescents and young adults have a significant economic, health, and social burden on an international scale. Targeting transdiagnostic factors that are common across psychopathologies, and doing so before symptoms develop or worsen, is critical to reduce this burden. Anhedonia is the pervasive inability to anticipate and experience pleasure or interest and is a transdiagnostic feature of many psychopathologies including depression and psychosis. Anhedonia has received comparatively less research attention compared to other symptoms, however, and is not well understood or addressed in available therapies.

This project will use existing high-quality experience sampling datasets to advance understanding of anhedonia in daily life. The experience sampling method (ESM) captures data from individuals in real-time in real-world contexts. By capturing real-time moment-to-moment variation, ESM removes retrospective biases and creates more accurate representations of individual experiences. ESM is state-of-the art in emotion and psychopathology research and is uniquely suited to capturing dynamic features of anhedonia that would otherwise not be identified. The primary aims of this project are to explore whether anhedonia fluctuates over time in daily life, whether these fluctuations are related to psychopathology (including depression and psychosis), and whether these fluctuations are impacted by novel interventions. This project will also involve a systematic review of the literature to describe how anhedonia is measured using ESM and to determine whether there is an established best-practice approach.

The current research will dramatically advance the field by producing new knowledge about how anhedonia manifests in daily life, as well as how it can be effectively measured using ESM. This knowledge will shape ongoing discussions about methodological issues in ESM research, which are unfolding in the scientific community against the backdrop of the replication crisis in psychological science, and contribute to ongoing efforts to improve ESM measurement. This knowledge will also aid the future development of transdiagnostic approaches targeting anhedonia that are more effective than those currently available. To maximise the reach of project findings, diffusion of knowledge to mental health researchers and clinicians will be facilitated by prioritising open science practices (e.g. sharing results on accessible platforms).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

1. Completed data familiarisation and study planning for Studies 1-3 using existing ESM data from a large cohort of young people to form the foundation for ongoing projects on anhedonia (including supervision of master thesis projects).
2. Completed data familiarisation, cleaning, and analysis for Study 4 using existing ESM data from a randomised controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a novel psychological intervention in early psychosis (including open access registration of hypotheses and analysis plan). Produced reproducible data analysis code and identified within-individual changes in positive emotion dynamics in individuals with early psychosis who received the intervention.
3. Completed first comprehensive systematic review of ESM in anhedonia research (including open access registration of hypotheses and analysis plan). Developed a list of ESM items for anhedonia, identified how anhedonia varies across mental health conditions and daily life contexts, and provided recommendations for future research to enhance methodological rigor in the field.
4. Completed extensive training in ESM, statistics, and open science practices, enhancing researcher capabilities.
5. Completed extensive opportunities for research leadership (including international collaborations), project management, supervision, teaching, grant writing, and knowledge transfer within Belgium, enhancing researcher capabilities and development as an emerging leader in the field. Leadership positions and supervisory responsibilities have led to multiple projects on ESM and treatment evaluation, particularly in the context of clinical implementation research, culminating in open access registrations of study plans and peer-reviewed scientific outputs beyond those specified in the project action.
6. Completed various communication and dissemination activities to share research findings and new expertise learned during the project with scientific and community (e.g. mental health professionals) audiences.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Results from this project indicate that there is substantial within-individual variation in treatment responses, particularly in positive emotion dynamics, in individuals with early psychosis. Differences between individuals with high and low anhedonia underscore the importance of personalised therapeutic approaches to enhance outcomes. Results from this project also indicate that anhedonia research using ESM is growing rapidly, and that measurement approaches have been heterogenous (i.e. varied across different studies). Daily experiences of anhedonia are present in a range of mental health conditions as well as in healthy populations, although experiences fluctuate over time and context and depend on how they were measured. Findings underscore the need for transdiagnostic approaches to better understand anhedonia across the mental health spectrum, as well as standardised ESM items and improved reporting for future research. Outcomes from this project include a comprehensive list of ESM items used to measure anhedonia that can be used to guide future research in the field. Impacts from this project include: 1) practical recommendations for researchers about anhedonia measurement via ESM; 2) improved quality of ESM measurement in future studies; and 3) advanced knowledge about anhedonia in daily life that gives rise to novel interventions or treatment targets. Future research with newly collected ESM data, using methodological recommendations outlined through this project, are needed to further advance understanding of anhedonia in daily life contexts.

Wordcloud summarising how anhedonia has been conceptualised in ESM research