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Results
The total sample size was 20 participants, 60% of which were adult females and 40% of
which were adult adult males.
The research hypothesis was that spirituality predicts grit. A linear regression analysis was
conducted to evaluate the prediction of grit given spirituality and was found to be significant F
(1,18) = 5.083, p= .037 as shown in Table 1. The regression equation for predicting grit is Y’ =
.076x + 2.951 as shown in Figure 1. The correlation between grit and spirituality is 0.469 (Table
1). Approximately 21.99% of the variance in grit was accounted for by its linear relationship with
spirituality (Table 1).
Table 1
Linear Regression Analysis for Grit and Spirituality
60%
40%
Gender
Female Male
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Figure 1
Spirituality Predicts Grit
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Discussion
The goal of this study was to determine whether spirituality predicts grit. According to the
results, spirituality is a significant predictor of grit. One limitation of this study was that the
participants were chosen from “Friends” on the social platform Facebook. While necessary in this
case, this represents a small population of those known to the researcher. However, participants
were randomly selected ensuring a more diverse population.
Another possible limitation to this study could be the 12-item Grit Scale that was used to
measure one’s grit (Duckworth et al., 2007). Some traits measured using this scale are inherent
with individuals who have ADHD, possibly implying that those with ADHD have no grit. It
would be interesting to look further into the relationship between those with ADHD and grit to
gain a better understanding of that relationship. For example, do individuals who have ADHD
and high levels of grit have high grit due to personality or ADHD treatments?
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Lastly, participants seemed concerned after taking the survey whether this would get the
researcher the results they wanted. Some participants may have adjusted their answers based on
what they thought the researcher was hypothesizing and what they thought the researcher would
like to see. Similarly, there may be concern of a socially desirable response such as saying they
are more spiritually inclined than they really are.
Many may ask, how does one build and improve grit and resilience in themselves or in
other individuals? Clement et al., (2020) discovered that grit was a major offset to suicidal
ideation. This implies that that higher someone’s level of grit and resilience, the less likely they
would be to commit suicide. If spirituality can significantly predict grit, then one way to build that
grit and resilience is to find or deepen one’s spiritual connection.
Medical and psychological treatment plans could include specific ways in which an
individual’s spirituality or religion supports and is utilized in that plan. Ozawa et al., (2017)
discovered a significant positive relationship between level of resilience and attendance to
spiritual services. This also supports the idea that if spirituality predicts grit, then one way to build
grit and resilience is to discover and incorporate spirituality and religion into all aspects of life.
Spirituality could also be incorporated into the workday. Singh and Chopra (2018) found
that finding meaning in one’s work and grit predicted high levels of work engagement. Perhaps if
this was taken a step further, and time for spirituality was incorporated into the workday, this
could mean higher job satisfaction. Even further, this could mean higher overall life satisfaction.
Spirituality in the workplace could be as simple as quiet spaces to pray or meditate on breaks.
Space could also be provided, or training provided to allow employees to discover different
spiritualities or religions. If spirituality can significantly predict grit, then people might be more
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satisfied with their jobs and stay in those jobs longer. Using spirituality as a significant predictor
of grit, one way to build grit and resilience is to help others discover and utilize their spirituality
or religion in their everyday lives.
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References
Clement, D. N., Wingate, L. R., Cole, A. B., O'Keefe, V. M., Hollingsworth, D. W., Davidson, C.
L., & Hirsch, J. K. (2020). The Common Factors of Grit, Hope, and Optimism
Differentially Influence Suicide Resilience. International journal of environmental
research and public health, 17(24), 9588. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249588
Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly, D. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and
passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-
1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
Hodge, D.R. (2003). The Intrinsic Spirituality Scale: A new six-item instrument for assessing the
salience of spirituality as a motivational construct. Journal of Social Service Research
30(1), 41-61. https://doi.org/10.1300/J079v30n01_03
Ozawa, C., Suzuki, T., Mizuno, Y., Tarumi, R., Yoshida, K., Fujii, K., Hirano, J., Tani, H.,
Rubinstein, E. B., Mimura, M., & Uchida, H. (2017). Resilience and spirituality in
patients with depression and their family members: A cross-sectional study.
Comprehensive Psychiatry, 77,53-59.
http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.06.002
Singh, J., & Chopra, V. G. (2018). Workplace spirituality, grit and work engagement. Asia-
Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 14(1-2), 50-59.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2319510X18811776
Vela, J. C., Smith, W. D., Whittenberg, J. F., Guardiola, R., & Savage, M. (2018). Positive
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https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12089
