Date of Award:

5-2021

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Sara Freeman (Committee Chair), Scott Bates (Committee Co-Chair)

Committee

Sara Freeman

Committee

Scott Bates

Committee

Diana Meter

Committee

Sarah Schwartz

Committee

Tyler Renshaw

Abstract

It is unclear if cannabis helps individuals cope with life’s stressors or increases the likelihood of developing stress-related disorders such as depression. Chronic unpredictable stress is a validated model of depression that exposes rodents to a series of frequently-occurring, intermittent stressors over the course of a few weeks. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes existing research using rodents on the effects of cannabinoids on stress-coping behaviors and neuroendocrinological measurements in chronic unpredictable stress. Databases were systematically searched for articles that met inclusion criteria, and effect sizes between control chronic unpredictable stress groups and cannabinoid-treated chronic unpredictable stress groups were calculated. A meta-analysis of the 26 included articles indicated that cannabinoids prevent the negative effects of chronic unpredictable stress, suggesting that the development of cannabinoid-based drugs has the potential to treat stress-related disorders such as depression.

Checksum

cfd7664c61bfb79ca3f7eb17dc5ef1ec

Included in

Psychology Commons

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