Psychological Reports, 1991, 6 9 , 1128-1130. O Psychological Reports 1991
DEPRESSION, GENERAL ANXIETY, TEST ANXIETY, AND RIGIDITY O F GIFTED JUNIOR H I G H AND H I G H SCHOOL CHILDREN ' JOHN BEER North Central Kansas Special Edtrcation Coop Phillipsbtrrg, Kansas Summary.-27 gifted students in junior high and high school from north central Kansas school districts were administered the Children's Depression Inventory, the Beck Depression Scale, Test Anxiety Scale, General Anxiety Scale, and Breskin's Rigidity Scale. Sex, age, and grade were not considered, as the sample was small. The gifted students' mean scores for depression were below the cut-off score while their test anxiety, general anxiety, and rigidity scores were at moderate levels. Pearson correlations were significant for Beck Depression with the Children's Depression (r = .82) and General Anxiety Scales (r = .60). Scores on the General Anxiety Scale correlated significantly with those on the Children's Depression Inventory ( r = .69) and the Test Anxiety Scale (r = .55). Rigidity scores were not correlated significantly with any other measure and scores on the depression scales did not correlate significantly with those on the Test Anxiety Scale.
The present study examined whether a group of gifted children in northern Kansas score higher on depression than the cut-off levels and normed scores on several questionnaires or score high on general anxiety, test anxiety, or rigidity. Parental permission for the children to attend a seminar on anxiety, depression, and relaxation was obtained. The Children's Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1983) is a clinical instrument for research use with children. For each one, item choices are assigned values of 0 to 2. The higher the value, the more severe is the behavior being rated. Item scores are sums of points for each question. The total score, the sum of the item scores, can range from O to 54. A score of 9 is an average score for nonpsychiatric samples from preliminary data (Kovacs, 1983). The Beck Depression Inventory of 21 multiple-choice questions is appropriate for rating depression of adults and adolescents. One of four numbers [O(least severe), 1, 2 , or 3 (most severe)] is circled for each question, and a total score from 0 to 63 is their sum. The guidelines suggested by Beck (1978) for interpreting scores are O to 9 normal range, 10 to 15 mild depression, 16 to 19 mild to moderate depression, 20 to 29 moderate to severe depression, and 30 to 63 severe depression. The Test Anxiety Scale and the General Anxiety Scale (Sarason, Davidson, Lighthall, Waite, & Ruebush, 1960) were also given. The former has 37 questions and the latter has 17 questions to be answered 'yes' or 'no.' 'Address correspondence to John Beer, 909 5th, Natoma, KS 67651
GIFTED YOUTH: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
1129
'Yes' answers are summed for a final score. Anxiety is "an emotional state, with the subjectively experienced quality of fear or a closely related emotion (terror, horror, alarm, fright, panic, trepidation, dread, scare)" (Lewis, 1970, p. 77). It is an unpleasant emotion, usually directed toward the future. The rationale underlying the Breskin Rigidity Test (Breskin, 1968) is that, when given the opportunity to express a preference for closed or symmetrical versus open or asymmetrical figures, individuals who are rigid in outlook will choose closed or symmetrical figures. There are 15 pairs of items from which subjects must choose one. The number of the items selected is totaled as the score. Twenty-seven children (boys = 6, girls = 21) in gifted programs of the . students had north central Kansas rural school districts ~ a r t i c i ~ a t e dThese been identified as gifted according to the guidelines of the State of Kansas which include intelligence scores at the 97th percentile and academic scores at the 95th percentile by individually administered tests. The mean age was 14.3 yr. (SD = 1.9, n =27, range 12 to 18 years). They were junior h g h and high school students who completed the Children's Depression Inventory, the Beck Depression Scale, the Test Anxiety Scale, the General Anxiety Scale, and the Rigidity Scale. Sex, age, and grade were not considered since the sample was too small. The mean score for these gifted children on the Children's Depression Inventory was 8.44 (SD = 5.85, n = 26, range 0 to 25). ' I h s mean falls below the prescribed cut-off level of 9 for this depression inventory so as a group students were not experiencing depression. The mean score on the Beck Depression Scale was 6.04 (SD =6.12, n = 25, range O to 20), which also falls below the prescribed cut-off of 9 for this inventory. Again, the students as a group can be said not to be experiencing depression. Pearson and Beer (1990) reported similar results for another group of gifted children. The Test Anxiety mean was 13.33 (SD = 5.90, n = 26, range = 3 to 26, 36%) while their General Anxiety mean was 6.85 (SD = 3.16, n = 26, range = O to 13, 40%). Both means fall into the lower third of scores and approach the moderate range. The mean on rigidity was 6.80 (SD = 3.55, n = 25, range = 1 to 15, 45%). This score was close to the 50% level which could indicate moderate rigidity. Pearson correlations were calculated; of these, four correlations were significant ( p < .01). Beck Depression scores correlated with scores on the Children's Depression Inventory (r = .82) and General Anxiety Scale (r = .60). General Anxiety Scale scores correlated significantly with scores on the Children's Depression Inventory ( r = .69) and the Test Anxiety Scale (r = .55), but rigidity did not correlate significantly with any other measure and the depression scales did not correlate significantly with the Test Anxiety Scale.
1130
J. BEER
These gifted students tend not to be depressed and not to experience much test or general anxiety, but they may experience some rigidity in their outlook. Although the particular tests administered here may constrain these data, previous research indicates, as does the present analysis, that gifted children are generally better adjusted than their peers of average or below average intelligence (Davis & Rimm, 1985). This may be attributed to the fact that over-all gifted students possess mental flexibility, ability to think positively, and emotional resilience (Albrecht, 1983). Such characteristics enable -gifted chddren to assess situations quickly and accurately, choose appropriate actions, and react accordingly. REFERENCES ALBRECHT,K. (1983) Brain power: the human mind as the next great frontier. Speech presented at 3rd Annual Midwest conference on Gifted and Talented Children, Milwaukee, WI, April. BECK,A. T. (1978) Depression: causes and treatment. Philadelphia, PA: Univer. of Pennsylvania Press. (Available from Center for Cognitive Therapy, Aaron T. Beck, M.D., Director, Room 602, 133 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104) BRESKTN,S. (1968) Measurement of rigidity, a non-verbal test. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 27, 1203-1206. DAVIS, A,, & RIMM, S. (1985) Education of the gifted and talented. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. K o v ~ c s ,M. (1983) The Children's De ression Inventory: a self-rated depression scale for school-aged youngsters. (UnpublisLed manuscript, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; available From Dr. M. Kovacs, WPIC, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213) LEWIS,A. (1970) The ambiguous word 'anxiety.' International Journal of Psychiatry, 9, 62-79. PEARSON, M., & BEER,J. (1990) Self-consciousness, self-esteem and depression of gifted school children. Psychological Reports, 66, 960-962. SARASON, S. B., DAVIDSON, K. S., LIGHTHALL, F. F,, WAITE, R. R., & RUEBUSH,B. K. (1960) Anxiety in elementary school children. New York: Wiley. Accepted November 18, 1991
DEPRESSION, GENERAL ANXIETY, TEST ANXIETY, AND RIGIDITY O F GIFTED JUNIOR H I G H AND H I G H SCHOOL CHILDREN ' JOHN BEER North Central Kansas Special Edtrcation Coop Phillipsbtrrg, Kansas Summary.-27 gifted students in junior high and high school from north central Kansas school districts were administered the Children's Depression Inventory, the Beck Depression Scale, Test Anxiety Scale, General Anxiety Scale, and Breskin's Rigidity Scale. Sex, age, and grade were not considered, as the sample was small. The gifted students' mean scores for depression were below the cut-off score while their test anxiety, general anxiety, and rigidity scores were at moderate levels. Pearson correlations were significant for Beck Depression with the Children's Depression (r = .82) and General Anxiety Scales (r = .60). Scores on the General Anxiety Scale correlated significantly with those on the Children's Depression Inventory ( r = .69) and the Test Anxiety Scale (r = .55). Rigidity scores were not correlated significantly with any other measure and scores on the depression scales did not correlate significantly with those on the Test Anxiety Scale.
The present study examined whether a group of gifted children in northern Kansas score higher on depression than the cut-off levels and normed scores on several questionnaires or score high on general anxiety, test anxiety, or rigidity. Parental permission for the children to attend a seminar on anxiety, depression, and relaxation was obtained. The Children's Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1983) is a clinical instrument for research use with children. For each one, item choices are assigned values of 0 to 2. The higher the value, the more severe is the behavior being rated. Item scores are sums of points for each question. The total score, the sum of the item scores, can range from O to 54. A score of 9 is an average score for nonpsychiatric samples from preliminary data (Kovacs, 1983). The Beck Depression Inventory of 21 multiple-choice questions is appropriate for rating depression of adults and adolescents. One of four numbers [O(least severe), 1, 2 , or 3 (most severe)] is circled for each question, and a total score from 0 to 63 is their sum. The guidelines suggested by Beck (1978) for interpreting scores are O to 9 normal range, 10 to 15 mild depression, 16 to 19 mild to moderate depression, 20 to 29 moderate to severe depression, and 30 to 63 severe depression. The Test Anxiety Scale and the General Anxiety Scale (Sarason, Davidson, Lighthall, Waite, & Ruebush, 1960) were also given. The former has 37 questions and the latter has 17 questions to be answered 'yes' or 'no.' 'Address correspondence to John Beer, 909 5th, Natoma, KS 67651
GIFTED YOUTH: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
1129
'Yes' answers are summed for a final score. Anxiety is "an emotional state, with the subjectively experienced quality of fear or a closely related emotion (terror, horror, alarm, fright, panic, trepidation, dread, scare)" (Lewis, 1970, p. 77). It is an unpleasant emotion, usually directed toward the future. The rationale underlying the Breskin Rigidity Test (Breskin, 1968) is that, when given the opportunity to express a preference for closed or symmetrical versus open or asymmetrical figures, individuals who are rigid in outlook will choose closed or symmetrical figures. There are 15 pairs of items from which subjects must choose one. The number of the items selected is totaled as the score. Twenty-seven children (boys = 6, girls = 21) in gifted programs of the . students had north central Kansas rural school districts ~ a r t i c i ~ a t e dThese been identified as gifted according to the guidelines of the State of Kansas which include intelligence scores at the 97th percentile and academic scores at the 95th percentile by individually administered tests. The mean age was 14.3 yr. (SD = 1.9, n =27, range 12 to 18 years). They were junior h g h and high school students who completed the Children's Depression Inventory, the Beck Depression Scale, the Test Anxiety Scale, the General Anxiety Scale, and the Rigidity Scale. Sex, age, and grade were not considered since the sample was too small. The mean score for these gifted children on the Children's Depression Inventory was 8.44 (SD = 5.85, n = 26, range 0 to 25). ' I h s mean falls below the prescribed cut-off level of 9 for this depression inventory so as a group students were not experiencing depression. The mean score on the Beck Depression Scale was 6.04 (SD =6.12, n = 25, range O to 20), which also falls below the prescribed cut-off of 9 for this inventory. Again, the students as a group can be said not to be experiencing depression. Pearson and Beer (1990) reported similar results for another group of gifted children. The Test Anxiety mean was 13.33 (SD = 5.90, n = 26, range = 3 to 26, 36%) while their General Anxiety mean was 6.85 (SD = 3.16, n = 26, range = O to 13, 40%). Both means fall into the lower third of scores and approach the moderate range. The mean on rigidity was 6.80 (SD = 3.55, n = 25, range = 1 to 15, 45%). This score was close to the 50% level which could indicate moderate rigidity. Pearson correlations were calculated; of these, four correlations were significant ( p < .01). Beck Depression scores correlated with scores on the Children's Depression Inventory (r = .82) and General Anxiety Scale (r = .60). General Anxiety Scale scores correlated significantly with scores on the Children's Depression Inventory ( r = .69) and the Test Anxiety Scale (r = .55), but rigidity did not correlate significantly with any other measure and the depression scales did not correlate significantly with the Test Anxiety Scale.
1130
J. BEER
These gifted students tend not to be depressed and not to experience much test or general anxiety, but they may experience some rigidity in their outlook. Although the particular tests administered here may constrain these data, previous research indicates, as does the present analysis, that gifted children are generally better adjusted than their peers of average or below average intelligence (Davis & Rimm, 1985). This may be attributed to the fact that over-all gifted students possess mental flexibility, ability to think positively, and emotional resilience (Albrecht, 1983). Such characteristics enable -gifted chddren to assess situations quickly and accurately, choose appropriate actions, and react accordingly. REFERENCES ALBRECHT,K. (1983) Brain power: the human mind as the next great frontier. Speech presented at 3rd Annual Midwest conference on Gifted and Talented Children, Milwaukee, WI, April. BECK,A. T. (1978) Depression: causes and treatment. Philadelphia, PA: Univer. of Pennsylvania Press. (Available from Center for Cognitive Therapy, Aaron T. Beck, M.D., Director, Room 602, 133 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104) BRESKTN,S. (1968) Measurement of rigidity, a non-verbal test. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 27, 1203-1206. DAVIS, A,, & RIMM, S. (1985) Education of the gifted and talented. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. K o v ~ c s ,M. (1983) The Children's De ression Inventory: a self-rated depression scale for school-aged youngsters. (UnpublisLed manuscript, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; available From Dr. M. Kovacs, WPIC, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213) LEWIS,A. (1970) The ambiguous word 'anxiety.' International Journal of Psychiatry, 9, 62-79. PEARSON, M., & BEER,J. (1990) Self-consciousness, self-esteem and depression of gifted school children. Psychological Reports, 66, 960-962. SARASON, S. B., DAVIDSON, K. S., LIGHTHALL, F. F,, WAITE, R. R., & RUEBUSH,B. K. (1960) Anxiety in elementary school children. New York: Wiley. Accepted November 18, 1991
