Intellectual giftedness and early adversity: searching for the hidden factor

The debate over whether intellectual giftedness acts as a protective or a risk factor for various socioemotional difficulties has persisted in gifted studies for almost a century, with two contrasting views of giftedness still coexisting in the literature. Our goal was to investigate if early adversity could contribute to reconcile these views, specifically by investigating if Early Adverse Experiences (ACEs) could account for some of the vulnerabilities (e.g., anxiety, daydreaming, heightened emotional reactivity) sometimes associated with intellectual giftedness (Intellectual Quotient, IQ ≥ 130). For that purpose, 245 intellectually gifted adults (M_age = 41.71, M_IQ = 137.87) and 205 control adults (M_age = 33.36, M_IQ = 116.11) were surveyed. Main results revealed comparable high rates of ACEs among both groups. Severe ACE exposure correlated with heightened anxiety (r = 0.23, p < 0.001) and absorption in thoughts (r = 0.26, p < 0.001). Heightened emotional reactivity was associated with the duration of exposure (r = 0.11, p < 0.05). Parental verbal abuse correlated with reduced scores in positive relationships with others (r = 0.12, p < 0.05) and purpose in life (r = 0.13, p < 0.05). Conversely, IQ was not associated with these difficulties, except for a small protective effect against absorption (r = − 0.10, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that ACEs contribute to distinguishing gifted adults who experience socioemotional issues. However, subthreshold Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the limited protective effect of IQ on this condition may have led to underestimating the clinical assessment of their early environment, and to conflate early adversity effects with intelligence-related traits. Despite limitations and some nuances in our results, this study was the first to assess maltreatment and neglect in gifted adults. By contributing to fill the gap between two historical views of giftedness, it may inform improved clinical practices with intellectually gifted adults while better understanding them.