Overexcitabilities and ADHD in Gifted Adolescents in Jordan: Empirical Evidence

ABSTRACT

There is no empirical evidence in Jordan that addresses the overlap and coexistence of overexcitability (OE) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in gifted students. This study aims to investigate (a) the relationship between characteristics of OE forms and ADHD subtypes and (b) the gender differences in OE profiles among gifted students in Jordan. The participants included 265 gifted adolescents from the Jubilee Institute. They were administered the Jordanian version of the Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two (OEQII) and the Conners ADHD/DSM-V Scales-Adolescent scale. The Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) revealed a noteworthy collective relationship between OE and ADHD constructs, and another noteworthy relationship in relation to the gender of gifted adolescents. The findings also revealed small, significant positive correlations between (a) Psychomotor OE and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, (b) Imaginational OE and ADHD subtypes, and (c) a small significant negative correlation between Intellectual OE and inattentive ADHD scores. Additionally, there was a significant gender difference in the Psychomotor OE in favor of boys and significant differences in the Emotional, Sensual, and Imaginational OEs in favor of girls. No significant gender differences were found in the Intellectual OEs of the participants.

KEYWORDS:

• ADHD
• canonical correlation analysis
• Conners
• emotional
• gender difference
• gifted adolescents
• hyperactivity
• imaginational
• inattention
• intellectual
• psychomotor
• sensual

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anies Al-Hroub

Dr. Anies Al-Hroub is an Associate Professor of Education Psychology and Special Education at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Currently, he is a Visiting Scholar at the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Talented Development and Gifted Education, University of Connecticut. Al-Hroub is an elected member of the executive committee for the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (WCGTC). Al-Hroub’s research interests focus on giftedness, creativity and talent development, twice-exceptionality, and psychometric and dynamic assessment. His publications appear in international gifted and special education journals. His latest book (with Mrs. El Khoury) is, Giftedness in Lebanese Schools: Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice (Springer, 2018). Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Malak Krayem

Ms. Malak Krayem is a PhD candidate majoring in Psychology at the Lebanese University. Krayem’s research emphasizes children and adolescents. She also focuses on gifted children and adolescents, children diagnosed with ADHD and/or special needs. Krayem is currently working on research related to children experiencing trauma in Canada and Lebanon. Email: [email protected]