Stress Assessment in Gifted Adolescents: A Practice-Oriented Screening Tool

Purpose: Gifted adolescents experience unique stress patterns requiring specialized assessment, yet validated screening tools remain limited. Method: This study developed and validated a brief instrument with 633 gifted adolescents (ages 12–15, M = 13.5, SD = 1.1) from Turkish Science and Art Centers using exploratory (n = 221) and confirmatory (n = 382) factor analyses. The sample included students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds across urban and suburban regions. Results: The 24-item scale demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties (χ²/df = 2.47, Comparative Fit Index = 0.86, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.072, α = .766) across five dimensions: emotion regulation, perfectionism, hypersensitivity, positive reappraisal, and social support. Criterion validity was supported through moderate correlation (r = .43, p < .05) with an established coping measure. Discussion: This validated tool enables rapid identification of stress vulnerabilities and coping resources. The multidimensional structure informs intervention planning by identifying clinical targets while acknowledging limitations including marginally acceptable fit indices and modest reliability for two subscales requiring future refinement.