Preferred Name
Noah Gustin
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8305-0889
Date of Graduation
5-9-2024
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Second Advisor
Kethera Fogler-Moore
Third Advisor
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.
