The College of Education, Health and
Human Sciences
Announces the Final Examination of
Donnalin Constantin
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
December 12, 2014 at 10:00 am
103 Ball Hall, University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Biographical Sketch
B.Sc., Social Work, The University of the West Indies
M.Sc., Counseling, The University of the West Indies
Advisory Committee
Sara K. Bridges, Ph. D., Associate Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, Committee chair
Chloe Lancaster, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research
Christian Mueller, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research
Elin Ovrebo, Ph.D. Counseling, Assistant Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research
Major Field of Study
Counseling Psychology
Period of Preparation: 2010-2015
Comprehensive Examination Passed: August, 2012
The Moderating Impact of Giftedness on the Relationship between Existential Anxiety, Authenticity and Depression in College Students.
The present study investigated whether the experience of existential anxiety influenced depression in the presence of authenticity and whether the experience was the same for identified gifted and non-identified gifted college students. The exploratory study sought to examine these relationships in the context of emerging adulthood among a sample of 207 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 years, from a mid-sized urban university in the southern United States. Results indicated that influences of existential anxiety and authenticity on depression were not significantly different for students identified as gifted compared with the non-identified gifted. In addition, constructs associated with giftedness (overexcitability and grades) added to the influences of existential anxiety and authenticity on depression. For this sample, anxiety associated with emptiness/meaninglessness and guilt/condemnation was found to have significant associations with depression. Findings suggest that a more profound understanding of the interaction of giftedness and depression is needed and that clinical services to gifted students may need to be tailored to account for their emotional and cognitive complexities and other psychological hypersensitivities. Also, the role of authenticity as a buffer against depression should be considered in both in therapeutic interventions with students and in general, with interpersonal relationships. Finally, existential anxiety is established as being an integral part of the experience of depression. More empirical research into the relationship between existential anxiety, authenticity and depression is needed.