The effects of bibliotherapy on reducing stress in the highly gifted

Includes bibliographical references (pages 66-72)This case study was undertaken to determine the effects of bibliotherapy\ud on reducing stress in the highly gifted child; that is, a child\ud with an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 140 and above. The procedure\ud consisted of three eighth grade students, selected out of a group of\ud thirty-four attending a highly gifted magnet school, being pre- and\ud post-tested with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Prescribed books\ud were read by the students, followed by counseling. The books were\ud chosen with the help of the school librarian, local public librarians,\ud and the school psychologist. After twelve weeks of bibliotherapeutic intervention, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was readministered to determine if there\ud had been any improvement in the test scores before and after treatment. Analysis of results indicated substantial statictical gains 1n two out\ud of the three case studies.\ud In addition, another important finding was that trait anxiety,\ud which is supposed to be relatively stable, was lowered significantly in\ud the same two cases.\ud A list of the books selected to meet the needs is included in the\ud appendixes