The CBD Scan-Anxiety Trial Used Different Instruments for Eligibility and Immediate Response
Entry into the scan-anxiety trial used the GAD-7, while the primary acute outcome used the VAMS afraid subscale. A threshold on one scale was not a response threshold on the other.
Eligibility and state anxiety were assessed separately
Women needed a GAD-7 score of at least five and self-reported scan-related anxiety. The acute before-and-after comparison then used the Visual Analog Mood Scale, designed to capture mood in the moment. These measures did not have identical scoring systems or time frames.
The VAMS result used transformed scores
Raw visual-analog ratings were converted to T-scores using the instrument’s age- and sex-based reference tables. A numerical change in a T-score should not be called an equal change in GAD-7 points or a percentage reduction in all anxiety symptoms.
The primary comparison remained nonsignificant
The between-arm change in the afraid subscale did not meet the primary endpoint, despite a favorable post-dose comparison. Keeping the instruments distinct helps explain what that result actually concerns. The study did not test a broad course of treatment for every anxiety diagnosis. It examined a single CBD dose under a specified scan-related stressor, using an acute mood endpoint in an eligible clinical population.
Related analysis: the study’s broader findings and limitations.
