Recently, interest in the quality of life of individuals experienced a real rise. This concept aims to determine the optimal functioning of individuals in various areas of life (Bruchon-Schweitzer, Boujut & Quintard, 2014) including health, environment, labour, and education. Indeed, young people are daily in their school and as a result, their well-being is partly dependent on experiences within it (Guimard, Bacro, Ferrière, Florin, Gaudonville & Ngo, 2015). The increase in the phenomena of dropout and school harassment then questioning the existence of violence within the school (Catheline, 2009). Collect opinion of young people about their quality of life has become a political and social issue undeniable in order to understand better the problems and needs specific to this period of life.
Puberty produces numerous changes and requires to learn and internalize new social codes (Coslin, 2007). This transition to adulthood is the bearer of many questions that can be even more distressing when there is also a feature such as a high intellectual potential (HPI). At present, only few French scientific studies are identified on this topic despite many social representations, sometimes negative, media (Baudson, 2016). In common thought, the HPI does not rhyme straightaway with difficulties (Prudhomme & Blaquière, 2006). However, in the bend of the literature, we will see how it can be a brake to a regular school track and the social integration of young people.
In France, the HPI children are recognized as students with special needs since Delaubier report (2002). This report highlights the problem related to the school maladjustment of these young people and provides solutions to better (re)know these students and their families, including through the training of the teaching staff. Some young people present a dyssynchrony between their intellectual development outside the norm and their contrasting emotional development (Terrassier, 2006). So, this heterogeneous development of cognitive skills can induce a discrepancy towards the group of peers and the family circle that could cause real suffering (Ministry of national education, 2013).
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of the feeling of integration on the quality of life of adolescents with high intellectual potential (HPI). In order to experiment this issue, our 208 participants, including 21 HPIs identified with a WISC (IQ> 130), were subjected to a life satisfaction scale (family, school, friends, habitat, self) and feeling integration scale (community, peers, family). The results show no difference between the two groups regarding the quality of life score. However, the scores obtained by the HPI group at the scale on the feeling of integration are significantly lower than their counterparts except for the “family” sub-domain. The correlation between these two scales was stronger for the HPI group. This element constitutes a point of vigilance since this feeling of integration decreases with the advancing age and could accentuate the shift induced by the HPI. The influence of the variable self-esteem needs to be further explored in future research.
Keywords: Quality of life; High intellectual potential; Giftedness; Integration; Adolescence
Written by Anaïs Ricateau (Master 2 PEADID)
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Bibliography:
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Bruchon-Schweitzer, M., Boujut, E., & Quintard, B. (2014). Psychologie de la santé: Concepts, méthodes et modèles (2e éd.). Paris: Dunod.
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Delaubier, J.P. (2002). La scolarisation des « élèves intellectuellement précoces ». Rapport à Monsieur le Ministre de l’Education Nationale.
Guimard, P., Bacro, F., Ferrière, S., Florin,A., Gaudonville, T. & Ngo, H.T. (2015). Le bien-être à l’école et au collège. Validation d’une échelle multidimensionnelle, analyses descriptives et différentielles. Education et Formations, n°88-89,163-184.
Ministère de l’éducation nationale (2013). Scolariser les élèves intellectuellement précoces (EIP).https://cache.media.eduscol.education.fr/file/eleves_intellectuellement_precoces_/99/4/Module_formation_EIP_268994.pdf
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