Longitudinal relationships between social anhedonia and internalizing symptoms in autistic children: results from the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials
Social anhedonia demonstrated stability over 6 months, suggesting that it may be a relatively stable characteristic in autistic children. Concurrent relationships were observed between social anhedonia and depression, as well as social anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Only depression demonstrated a bidirectional longitudinal association with social anhedonia. This bidirectional relationship aligns with developmental models linking early negative social experiences to subsequent internalizing symptoms in autistic children, underscoring the clinical significance of social anhedonia assessment in this population.
Authors
- Natalia M. Kleinhans (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4417-4224)
- Susan Faja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6876-3643)
- Katarzyna Chawarska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1445-6346)
- James C. McPartland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2570-0746)
- James Dziura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8953-6183)
- April R. Levin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4192-4720)
- Sara Jane Webb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-6255)
- Catherine A. Sugar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2804-7612)
- Géraldine Dawson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1410-2764)
- Frederick Shic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9040-1259)
- Alan S. Gerber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8133-3995)
- Adam Naples (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6298-5699)
- Shafali Jeste (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9821-7589)
Institutions
- Boston Children's Hospital (US)
- Seattle Children's Hospital (US)
- Children's National (US)
- Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Duke University Hospital (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Psychological Medicine
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291725000650
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.86
Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health