Interrelationships and correlates of four measures of pleasure deficit

Compared the utilities of four measures currently used to assess pathological deficit in the ability to experience pleasure (N = 56). The Watson Anhedonia Interview scale was less reliable than the others, but was correlated as often with measures of pleasure-seeking as they were after correction for attenuation. It was more heavily correlated with measures of psychopathology than the others. The Chapman, Chapman, & Raulin (1976) Social and Physical Anhedonia scales demonstrated superior reliability and more correlations with pleasure-seeking ratings than the other scales, at least before correction for attenuation. However, their relatively modest relationships with measures of psychopathology suggested that the pleasure-deficits they measure best may not be as characteristic of psychiatric conditions as that reflected by the Anhedonia Interview. The Zuckerman General Sensation Seeking scale showed less reliability than the Chapman scales and fewer correlations with both pleasure-seeking and psychopathology than the others.