Experimental study on Quality of Life and Overload in families caring for gifted children

Abstract

The scientific literature and previous research show that families of gifted children tend to compensate for the deficits in meeting the educational needs of the group, making use of a multitude of resources and extracurricular activities. The objective of this study is to quantify and measure the amount of these curricular activities and their impact on the quality of life of families of gifted children compared to families of non-gifted children. The methodology is a survey experiment involving 160 families in Seville: 80 families with gifted children (experimental group) and 80 families with non-gifted children (control group). The results show that gifted children attend almost twice as many extracurricular activities per week as their non-gifted peers, and the cost to their families is four times higher. This is perceived by mothers of gifted children as detrimental to their quality of life and overburdens their free time, as measured by the GENCAT and ZARIT scales.