Preferred Name

Noah Gustin

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8305-0889

Date of Graduation

5-9-2024

Semester of Graduation

Spring

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Department of Graduate Psychology

Advisor(s)

Jessica Irons

Kethera Fogler-Moore

Jeff Dyche

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to assess the utility of cannabidiol (CBD) as a novel therapeutic for college students with mild-to-moderate depression. Participants completed a fourteen-week protocol: a four-week baseline, a four-week consumption phase, a two-week washout phase, and a second four-week consumption phase. Participants were randomly assigned to a CBD condition (150mg or 300mg). Study phases were counterbalanced such that if CBD was consumed in the first consumption phase, placebo was consumed in the second consumption phase, and vice versa. Participants completed weekly and monthly surveys used to assess depressive symptoms and secondary health-related measures. While graphical visualization of mean data suggests that there may be a positive impact of CBD on DASS—Depression scores the evidence presented is insufficient for drawing conclusions on the utility of CBD as a therapeutic for depressive symptoms. Further research is necessary to identify potential CBD-induced antidepressant effects in humans.

Available for download on Sunday, April 12, 2026

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