1. ABOUT THE DATASET ------------ Title: Data supporting: ´Impact of mental health stigma on anhedonic experiences in young people with clinical depression´ Creator(s): Katie Prizeman (katiediab@gmail.com), ORCiD https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3960-6467 Organisation(s): Department of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom Rights-holder(s): Katie Prizeman Publication Year: 2025 Description: Clinical depression, also known as major depressive disorder (MDD), is a common and serious condition affecting many young people, often leading to persistent sadness, loss of interest, and emotional numbness. In youth, MDD can significantly impact academic performance, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. While the symptoms of depression are well understood, the role of stigma in exacerbating these symptoms, particularly anhedonia—such as reduced motivation and social withdrawal—remains unclear. Stigma can amplify feelings of isolation, shame, and disconnection, potentially worsening symptoms. This study aimed to explore how depression stigma influences symptoms like anhedonia, focusing on its impact on motivation, physical activity, and social participation. By examining personal experiences with stigma, the study seeks to understand how stigma contributes to a cycle of disengagement, ultimately helping to develop strategies to support recovery. These findings provide insight into how stigma may contribute to social withdrawal, reduced motivation, and emotional disengagement, which can further exacerbate depressive symptoms. The dataset includes demographic information and responses to relevant questionnaires, providing details on participants' demographics and their responses related to depression, stigma, anhedonia, motivation, and social participation. Cite as: Prizeman, Katie (2025): Data supporting: 'Impact of mental health stigma on anhedonic experiences in young people with clinical depression'. University of Reading. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.17864/1947.001387 Related publication: • Title: Impact of mental health stigma on anhedonic experiences in young people with clinical depression • Corresponding author: Katie Prizeman • Co-authors: Ciara McCabe • Journal: TBD • Current status: Manuscript to be submitted to journal • Expected date of publication: N/A Contact: Katie Prizeman katiediab@gmail.com Acknowledgements: We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all participants who generously shared their time and experiences for this study, and who took part in helping us collect data. 2. TERMS OF USE ------------ Copyright 2025 Katie Prizeman. This dataset is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 3. PROJECT AND FUNDING INFORMATION ------------ Title: Impact of mental health stigma on anhedonic experiences in young people with clinical depression This project received no other funding. This dataset was not created in the course of a funded project. 4. CONTENTS ------------ File listing 1. Data_File_Prizeman_2025 Includes 1 excel file made up of 3 excel sheets: • Sheet 1 titled: Socio-Demographic Data. Includes information about 35 participant socio-demographic characteristic information (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity, country, education level, and total ASA, ISMI-9, and MFQ scores) • Sheet 2 titled: ASA Data. Includes 35 participants raw ASA data (participant responses to ASA questions and ASA scoring) • Sheet 3 titled: MFQ Data. Includes 35 participants raw MFQ data (participant responses to MFQ questions and MFQ scoring) • Sheet 4 titled: ISMI-9 Data. Includes 35 participants raw ISMI-9 data (participant responses to ISMI-9 questions and ISMI-9 scoring) 5. METHODS ----------- Participants (N = 35) aged 16–25 years (Mage = 19.63) with clinical levels of depression symptoms [Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ)—score of ≥27] (Costello & Angold, 1988) were recruited and reimbursed for their time and effort with SONA credits, an experimental management system implemented by the university to allow students to sign up for psychology studies within the university, which can then be used towards course credits. There were no other inclusion or exclusion criteria. All participants were pre-screened for depressive symptoms using the MFQ, a 33-item self-report scale assessing emotional, cognitive, and behavioural symptoms of depression in the past two weeks. Responses are rated on a 3-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater severity. A score of 27 or higher is used as the clinical cutoff for depression (Daviss et al., 2006; Rhew et al., 2010). The Anhedonia Scale for Adolescents (ASA) was also administered to assess loss of enjoyment, motivation, and social connection, using 14 items rated on a 4-point scale. It includes three subscales: emotional flattening, enthusiasm and connection, and motivation. Higher scores indicate greater anhedonia (Watson, McCabe, et al., 2021; Watson et al., 2020). Finally, participants completed the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory – 9-item Version* (ISMI-9*), a 9-item self-report scale that measures internalized stigma. Scores range from 1 (minimal stigma) to 4 (severe stigma), with higher scores reflecting greater internalized stigma (Boyd et al., 2014; van Beukering et al., 2022). The study adhered to ethical standards, ensuring voluntary participation and data protection.