How to cite this Dataset
Prizeman, Katie (2025): Data supporting: 'Mental illness stigma exacerbates anhedonia in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): A participatory qualitative study'. University of Reading. Dataset. https://researchdata.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/1428
This is the latest version of this item.
Description
Clinical depression, or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a common and serious condition in young people, often characterised by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and emotional numbness. In this age group, MDD can substantially affect academic performance, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. While depressive symptoms are well documented, the role of stigma in exacerbating them—particularly anhedonia, characterised by reduced pleasure, motivation, and social engagement and often resistant to treatment—remains insufficiently understood. Stigma may further diminish motivation and social participation, increasing isolation and emotional disconnection.
This qualitative study explored how mental illness stigma influences anhedonia in young people with clinical symptoms of MDD. A core feature of the study was its participatory design: a youth advisory group co-developed the interview guide, providing input throughout the research process to ensure relevance, sensitivity, and alignment with young people’s lived experiences. This approach enabled the study to centre youth voices and priorities at every stage.
The findings provide novel, youth-informed evidence that stigma compounds anhedonia by undermining motivation, disrupting emotional connection, and reinforcing social withdrawal. These results highlight stigma as a previously overlooked mechanism contributing to anhedonia and underscore the value of co-produced research that elevates young people’s perspectives in mental health studies.
The dataset includes participants’ demographic information alongside responses to questionnaires assessing depression symptoms, stigma, anhedonia, motivation, and social participation, providing a comprehensive overview of the sample and key variables.
| Alternative title: | Stigma exacerbates anhedonia in MDD |
|---|---|
| Resource Type: | Dataset |
| Creators: | Prizeman, Katie  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3960-6467 |
| Rights-holders: | Katie Prizeman |
| Data Publisher: | University of Reading |
| Publication Year: | 2025 |
| Data last accessed: | 4 November 2025 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.17864/1947.001428 |
| Metadata Record URL: | https://researchdata.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/1428 |
| Organisational units: | Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences |
| Participating Organisations: | University of Reading |
| Keywords: | anhedonia, amotivation, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), mental illness stigma, qualitative study, reward processing, social engagement, participatory research, young people |
| Rights: | |
| Data Availability: | OPEN |
Available Versions of this Item
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Data supporting: 'Impact of mental health stigma on anhedonic experiences in young people with clinical depression'. (deposited 23 Apr 2025 08:32)
- Data supporting: 'Mental illness stigma exacerbates anhedonia in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): A participatory qualitative study'. (deposited 28 May 2025 12:42) [Currently Displayed]
