The emotional adjustment of gifted adolescents: A global and multidimensional perspective

Statement of problem. The number of studies investigating the emotional adjustment of gifted adolescents is sparse in relation to studies devoted to younger gifted children. Furthermore, incongruent findings have characterized the body of empirical evidence, thus, stimulating the debate and exploration of the association of maladjustment and giftedness. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to compare the self-perceptions of emotional adjustment of academically gifted and nongifted adolescents from both a global and multidimensional perspective. The intent of this global-multidimensional approach, in part, was to explore the saliency of specific dimensions of adjustment in gifted adolescents and to increase the accuracy of the measurement of emotional adjustment.; Method. The sample included 112 academically gifted and nongifted adolescents in a public high school (grades 9-12). The study employed the Self-Report of Personality of the Behavior Assessment System for Children to compare the two groups on the global Emotional Symptoms Index and specific indexes of adjustment, including: Self-Esteem, Sense of Inadequacy, Depression, Anxiety, Social Stress, and Interpersonal Relations.; Results. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the self-perceptions of academically gifted adolescents differ significantly from their nongifted agemates' with regard to overall adjustment, self-esteem, sense of inadequacy, depression, and interpersonal relations. More specifically, the scores obtained by the academically gifted adolescents indicated that they judged themselves as better adjusted with regard to global functioning, as well as all of the aforementioned specific dimensions. The academically gifted and nongifted adolescents exhibited no significant difference in their reporting of anxiety and social stress.; Conclusions. Findings suggest that academically gifted adolescents perceive themselves as well-adjusted when examined from both a global and multidimensional perspective. Current results, therefore, reflect the importance of refraining from perfunctorily associating maladjusted behaviors with giftedness when they are displayed by gifted adolescents. Consequently, behavioral manifestations of maladjustment in gifted adolescents should warrant attention. Finally, this research emphasizes the need for consideration of both global and specific dimensions of emotional functioning when attempting to identify and address the psychological and educational needs of gifted adolescents.