| The present study involved the initial development, implementation, and evaluation of a 13-session school-based primary prevention program for gifted middle school students. The program was designed to teach general stress management techniques that can be applied to a variety of gifted-related stressors, as well as stressors more typically experienced during childhood. Furthermore, the program targeted negative aspects of perfectionism in an effort to promote mental health and psychological well-being.; Sixty-two gifted children from two classrooms in each of three schools (sixth grade, n = 30; seventh grade, n = 32) participated in the Reaching New Heights program. Within each school, one classroom was assigned to the immediate-intervention group (n = 34); the other classroom in each school was assigned to the delayed-intervention group (n = 28). Repeated-Measures Analysis of Variance Tests revealed improvements in children's ability to generate a repertoire of effective solutions to stressful situations for the immediate-intervention group. However, these effects were not maintained at 5-month follow-up. On the other hand, students in the delayed-intervention group improved on their social and academic target stressor ratings, as well as the number of academic and social stressors that they experienced. Furthermore, results from the teacher data indicated that children who participated in the immediate-intervention group evidenced fewer problems and greater competencies in school at 5-month follow-up. No effects were found for perfectionism variables, academic anxiety, social anxiety, self-efficacy, and perceived coping effectiveness. The results of the current study are discussed, including implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research. |
