The Relationships Between Grit, Burnout, and Demographic Characteristics in Medical Students

Abstract

Grit, a positive psychological trait comprised of perseverance and passion, has been correlated with physician burnout but has not been extensively studied among medical students. Identification of the relationship between grit and burnout as well as between burnout and other demographics could help to identify students at risk of burnout, while informing educational strategies to increase grit in the medical occupation. For this cross-sectional study, an online, email-based survey including demographic questions, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services (Medical Personnel) Survey, and the Short Grit Scale was distributed to an entire student body of allopathic medical students via a schoolwide listserv in 2019. The response rate was 39.6% (177/444). Negative correlations were displayed between grit and emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and overall burnout. Positive correlation was demonstrated between grit and personal accomplishment. Male participants had higher depersonalization than female participants and fourth year medical students had higher depersonalization than other years of training. Fourth year medical students had higher personal accomplishment than other years of training and married students had higher personal accomplishment than those who had never been married. These findings are important not only for potential identification of students at risk of burnout, but also for development of strategies to bolster grit and mitigate distressing experiences in the medical occupation. Future studies are necessary to gauge how this relationship may evolve throughout a medical career.

Impulsivity Mediates the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Interpersonal Functioning: A Cross-sectional Study in a Sample of University Students

“…Self-discipline, through its in uence on decision-making, ultimately impacts common daily behaviors, such as sleep, diet and general hygiene 128,129 , and requires a consistent effort over time, through potential modi cations of behavior, to achieve one's ultimate goal (e.g., improving sleep) [130][131][132] . Such perseverance (sometimes referred to as "grit" in the literature, or "perseverance and passion for long-term goals" 130 ) has long term implications, with an ultimate potential outcome of improved overall general and psychological wellbeing 130,133,134 .…”

Impulsivity Mediates the Relationship between Sleep Quality and Interpersonal Functioning: A Cross-sectional Study in a Sample of University Students

“…Self-discipline, through its in uence on decision-making, ultimately impacts common daily behaviors, such as sleep, diet and general hygiene (128, 129), and requires a consistent effort over time, through potential modi cations of behavior, to achieve one's ultimate goal (e.g., improving sleep) (130)(131)(132). Such perseverance (sometimes referred to as "grit" in the literature, or "perseverance and passion for long-term goals" ( 130)) has long term implications, with an ultimate potential outcome of improved overall general and psychological well-being (130,133,134).…”

Growth mindset, Grit, and Academic Self-efficacy as determinants of Academic Performance in Peruvian university students

“…Grit is a personal characteristic that would explain why some students can improve their performance even in adverse situations (Barriopedro et al, 2018;Han, 2023). Furthermore, Duckworth and Yeager (2015) argue that this attribute turns out to be a better predictor of academic success than cognitive ability, which is evidenced by meta-analytic findings in which it is reported to correlate moderately with performance in academic (Strayhorn, 2014;Daura et al 2020;Han, 2023) and work environments (Sackett et al, 2012), moderating the relationship between occupational stress and depression in workers (Lee et al, 2023).…”