Deficits in anticipatory but not consummatory pleasure in people with recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Abstract The majority of studies examining self-reported anticipatory and consummatory pleasure in schizophrenia, as measured on the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS), have been conducted on chronically ill people with the disorder. In this study, people with a recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis (first psychotic episode within one year of study participation) ( n = 88) and people without a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis ( n = 66) were administered the TEPS. People with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis reported significantly lower scores of anticipatory, but not consummatory, pleasure on the TEPS compared to the control group. TEPS anticipatory pleasure scores were also significantly, negatively correlated with negative symptoms, but neither TEPS anticipatory nor consummatory pleasure scores were significantly correlated with functioning measures. Our results replicate previous findings with chronically ill people with schizophrenia on the TEPS.