SOCIAL ANHEDONIA AS A PREDICTOR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA-SPECTRUM DISORDERS

College undergraduates (n = 34) identified by deviant scores (at least 1.96 SD above the mean) on the Revised Social Anhedonia (SocAnh) Scal e (M. Eckblad, L. J. Chapman, J. P. Chapman, & M. Mishlove, 1982) were compared with control participants (n = 139) at an initial assessment and at a 10-year follow-up evaluation. Twenty-four percent of the Soc Anh group were diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders at the follow-up compared with only 1% of the control group, despite the fact that there had been no such difference between the groups at the init ial assessment 10 years earlier. The SocAnh group exceeded the control group on severity of psychotic-like experiences and had poorer overal l adjustment at the follow-up but not at the initial assessment. The g roups did not differ on mood symptoms or substance-use disorders. Thus , the SocAnh Scale, unlike the Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideat ion Scales, appears to identify individuals at specific risk for futur e development of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.