Stress and Burnout Amoung Preadolescent and Early Adolescent Gifted Students: A Preliminary Investigation

Abstract

Classroom stress and burnout experienced by 121 preadolescent and early adolescent gifted students were assessed in combination with seven background, five personal, three general anxiety and stress, and two organizational variables. The student's age, sex, birth order, IQ, and achievement level bore little relationship to either stress or burnout. Poor self-esteem, externalized locii of control, high levels of state and trait anxiety, poor school life quality, and tedium were significant predictors of classroom stress. These, plus classroom stress, also predicted classroom burnout. Low self-esteem levels, poor behavioral/academic self-esteem, creative personality typology, and state anxiety predicted preadolescent stress, while poor self esteem, state and trait anxiety, and poor school life quality predicted early adolescent stress. An externalized locus of control, trait anxiety, poor school life quality, and student stress predicted preadolescent burnout, while poor self esteem, poor school life quality, classroom tedium, and student stress predicted early adolescent burnout.