Mixed methodology for the study of gender differences in high ability adolescents

Introduction. Coping is commonly defined as the performance of cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage internal or environmental demands, which are assessed as surplus to the resources possessed by the individual. Coping is an influential factor in the health and well-being of individuals, both positively and negatively. Within the high ability group, it can be considered as a multifaceted construct. Given that people with high abilities have to face situations of rejection and loneliness, as well as misunderstanding, they need coping strategies to deal with them. The literature shows that they make use of more positive strategies, while avoiding learning strategies less focused on problem solving.
Objective: To study the existing differences in coping as a function of gender and intellectual capacity.
Mixed Methodology, with an ex post facto design in the qualitative part and ALCESTE lexical analysis. Sample High ability students: 46 males and 39 females; community sample 47 males and 39 females.
Results: The MANOVA was significant, finding greater intropunitve flight in high ability students and in females. As for the qualitative results, the analysis extracted two classes, one called "problem-oriented strategies" and the second "Search for support from relevant people in the context. A differential use of more used words was observed between boys and girls. Discussion. The classes obtained coincide with classic factors of psychometric measurement of coping, since the first class is related to the factors positive and effortful action, as well as hedonistic positive action. The second class corresponds to the Introversion factor.
Conclusion. The use of mixed methodology allows us to study in greater depth the coping strategies used by high ability adolescents.