Abstract

Gifted learners have special characteristics which make them unique individuals. However, just like their normative group, gifted learners experience some psychological issues that hinder their ability to adjust in new environments. This study aims to examine levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and adjustments (psychological, social and emotional) faced by Malaysian gifted learners in school. It also investigates the relationship between all these variables under study. A total of 112 students aged 16 years old were involved in the study. The study employs a cross-sectional survey design, and the data was collected using two sets of questionnaires namely, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS), and the Social Well-Being Questionnaire (SWBQ). Data shows that local gifted learners experienced some form of depression, anxiety and stress. It is also found that the participants have high levels of psychological, social and emotional adjustments. Strong positive correlations were found between depression with anxiety and stress, whereas negative correlation was found between depressions with all forms of adjustment. The findings of this research provided a fundamental basis to be used in the future development of counseling provision for gifted educational programs in local school context.

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