Social anhedonia is associated with reduced social functioning and diminished reward from social interactions. Individuals expressing social anhedonia are likely to experience reduced social connectedness and feel lonely. Loneliness is also associated with reduced social functioning. Therefore, loneliness could account for the relationship between social anhedonia and social functioning. We aimed to determine whether loneliness mediates the relationship between social anhedonia and reduced social functioning. In total, 824 young adults (M age = 21.03, SD = 5.59; 72.3% female) completed the Revised-Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, and the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). Scores on thee SFS were summed into six subscales: Social Withdrawal, Relationships, Social Activities, Recreational Activities, Independence (Competence), and Independence (Performance). Negative affect (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 [DASS] total score) was included as a covariate. Both the RSAS and the UCLA Loneliness Scale were negatively correlated with overall and all social functioning subscales. The DASS-21 positively correlated with all variables of interest. Mediation analyses revealed that loneliness partially mediated the relationship between social anhedonia and the social functioning subscales, with the exception of Recreational Activities. However, loneliness was a full mediator for the relationship between social anhedonia and overall social functioning. The study findings suggest that targeting loneliness in interventions may be important for improving various aspects of social functioning in those individuals who express social anhedonia.

Background: Individuals with psychotic disorders often report feelings of loneliness, fewer social contacts and less satisfaction with their social support prior to diagnosis. However, the temporal relationships between these variables remain unclear. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether subjective and objective social factors predict, or are predicted by, psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) in healthy young adults.Methods: A total of 196 undergraduates completed baseline and 3-month follow up assessments for PLEs, loneliness, social support size, and satisfaction. Cross-lagged panel models were conducted to investigate the temporal relationships between these variables.Results: Higher loneliness scores, fewer social contacts, and being less satisfied with social support at both time points were significantly associated with higher endorsement of PLEs. Furthermore, after controlling for baseline levels, cross-lagged analyses revealed that individuals who reported feeling more lonely and having less social support at baseline, predicted higher PLEs three months later but not vice versa. No cross-lagged effect was found between satisfaction of social support and PLEs. Conclusion:The study highlights the significant relationships between loneliness, social support and PLEs. Higher levels of loneliness and smaller social support networks predicted future PLEs. These findings need to be given full consideration in future clinical practice and intervention for young adults with PLEs.