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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
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discover different spiritualities or religions. If spirituality can significantly predict grit, then
people might be more 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
psychology factors as predictors of Latina/o college students’ psychological grit.
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https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12089
