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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
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individuals who have ADHD and high levels of grit have high grit due to personality or
ADHD treatments?
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
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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 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.
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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
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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
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