Highlights
Abstract
Introduction: To compare the quality of life, areas of social, emotional,
behavioural and mental problems and family functionality of gifted
children and children of normal intelligence.
Methods: The study included 49 gifted children aged 9-18 years and
56 age and gender-matched healthy children of normal intelligence.
The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age
Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), and the Children’s
Depression Rating Scale were applied to all the cases. The Quality of
Life Scale for Children, the Depression Scale for Children, the Trait-State
Anxiety Inventory, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-
Adolescent Form were completed by all the participants. All the parents
completed the Family Evaluation Scale, the Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnaire- Parents Form and the Parents Form of the Quality of Life
Scale for Children.
Results: Compared to children of normal intelligence, gifted children
described themselves as more inattentive and lively, social functionality
was reported to be low and they had a worse perception of their physical
health status. Gifted boys were determined to have more depressive
symptoms than gifted girls. The parents of boys of normal intelligence
reported lower academic performance than the parents of giftedboys.
This difference was not determined for girls between the cases and
comparative groups.
Conclusion: All the findings obtained in this study suggest that gifted
children are at risk in respect of mental health. Therefore, to be able
to become healthy adults in a biopsychosocial aspect, it is important
for the future of gifted children that this status can be identified at an
early age, that they can receive appropriate education, that support
and counselling are provided for emotional needs and that parents and
teachers are fully informed.