Examining the Fears of Gifted Children

Abstract

Few studies have considered the fears of gifted children. Using the American Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-AM; Burnham, 1995), a modified version of the Australian Fear Survey Schedule for Children-II (Gullone & King, 1992, 1993), this study focused on the fears of 287 gifted children ages 7–10. This study is a first step in developing contemporary normative data in fears of gifted children. Two a priori discriminant analyses were used to investigate which factor scores discriminated between gender and ethnicity. Additionally, 2 item analyses were completed to examine which fear items on the FSSC-AM discriminated between gender and ethnicity. Results are reported and compared to previous studies. Implications and recommendations for future fear research with gifted children also are discussed. Further research is necessary to discern differences in fears of gifted children and their peers.