Social Coping and Psychological Distress Among Chinese Gifted Students in Hong Kong

Abstract

This study explored the relationships between social coping and psychological distress in a sample of Chinese students in Hong Kong. These students, nominated by their schools to join university gifted programs, were assessed with respect to their nonverbal IQ (nonverbal reasoning), social coping strategies in response to being gifted, and psychological distress in 5 specific symptom areas. The findings indicated that gender, age, and nonverbal IQ had notable effects on specific social coping strategies. Students’ coping by valuing peer acceptance and coping by attempting avoidance emerged as 2 of the most important social coping strategies predicting specific psychological symptoms. The implications of the findings for preventive interventions to help gifted students in their promotion and maintenance of psychological well-being are discussed.