Among adolescents with mood and anxiety symptoms, those who used cannabis reported worse anticipatory anhedonia, the inability to look forward to pleasurable experiences, with more frequent use linked to worse symptoms.
Adolescent psychiatrists, school counselors, parents of teens with depression who use cannabis.
More frequent cannabis use correlated with worse anticipatory anhedonia in teens with mood symptoms
What the researchers found
Adolescents who used cannabis endorsed worse anticipatory anhedonia (difficulty looking forward to pleasurable experiences) compared to those who never used or tried cannabis only once. More frequent cannabis use correlated with greater anticipatory anhedonia. Teens diagnosed with cannabis use disorder reported greater depression and anxiety than those with non-disordered use.
Why it matters
Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression and reflects dysfunction in the brain's reward system. Finding that cannabis use is specifically linked to anticipatory anhedonia in teens with mood symptoms suggests cannabis may compound reward-system problems in already vulnerable youth.
The numbers in context
153 adolescents; mean age 15.9 years; 64.1% female; 49 cannabis users identified; cannabis use disorder subgroup showed greater depression and anxiety than non-disordered users.
How the study worked
Cross-sectional study of 153 adolescents (mean age 15.9, 64.1% female) presenting with mood and anxiety symptoms. Cannabis use was quantified via clinician interviews, self-reports, and urine toxicology. Linear regression models assessed associations between cannabis use and anhedonia subconstructs, adjusting for age and sex.
What this study cannot tell us
Small sample size (n=153) with cross-sectional design, which cannot determine whether cannabis causes anhedonia or anhedonic teens seek cannabis. Clinical sample may not generalize to community populations. Self-reported cannabis use may be underestimated.
How to read the evidence
Preliminary: Small clinical sample (n=153) with cross-sectional design; important signal but requires larger longitudinal confirmation.
When this study was published
Published in 2025.
The bigger picture
This study connects two growing concerns: rising adolescent cannabis use and the neurobiological impact on developing reward systems. Anhedonia is particularly treatment-resistant and predicts poor outcomes in depression, making this association clinically meaningful.
Questions still open
- Does cannabis use cause anticipatory anhedonia, or do teens with reward dysfunction gravitate toward cannabis? Would anhedonia improve with cannabis cessation? Are there sex differences in how cannabis affects reward processing in depressed adolescents?
Common questions
What is anticipatory anhedonia?
Why might cannabis affect the ability to feel pleasure?
Read the original research
Cannabis Use is Related to Anhedonia in Adolescents With Diverse Mood and Anxiety Symptoms.
JAACAP open, 3(4), 1107-1117
Citation
Nguyen, Tram N B; Ely, Benjamin A; Vitale, Aria; Roske, Chloe; Richard, Jasmin T; Tobe, Russell H; Gabbay, Vilma. (2025). Cannabis Use is Related to Anhedonia in Adolescents With Diverse Mood and Anxiety Symptoms.. JAACAP open, 3(4), 1107-1117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2025.02.003
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