The emotional adjustment of gifted adolescents: A view of global functioning

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine if academically gifted adolescents differ from nongifted adolescents with regard to their perception of overall emotional adjustment as measured by a composite score (Emotional Symptoms Index or ESI) on the Self Report of Personality (SRP) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). Gifted adolescents (N= 115) from a resource support program in grades 9 through 12 were compared with nongifted peers (N = 97) from a suburban high school within the Atlanta metropolitan area. The comparison group was composed of volunteers from one regular education English class from each grade level (9–12) with a random, computer‐assigned enrollment. A 2×4 analysis of variance factorial design was used to analyze data obtained from the study in assessing whether the means of the eight groups differed significantly with regard to giftedness and/or grade on the composite measure (ESI) of emotional adjustment. Results revealed the overall emotional adjustment of both groups falls within normal limits when compared with the General norms established by the authors of the BASC. The gifted group obtained significantly lower T‐scores than the nongifted group, suggesting the presence of fewer indicators of behavioral‐emotional maladjustment. No difference was obtained between groups with regard to grade. Results support previous findings that, when a difference exists between the overall emotional adjustment of gifted and nongifted students, the gifted students show better adjustment on self‐report instruments.