Can grit predict well-being?

Abstract Background Burnout affects over 50% of surgical residents, and efforts focused on well-being during training are needed. Grit, defined as perseverance toward achieving long-term goals, is a measure of mental fortitude and may be protective against burnout and predictive of well-being. Methods An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to surgical and non-surgical resident trainees as well as general surgery faculty. Grit was measured using a 12-question validated Grit Scale and well-being was measured using a 5-question validated WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Linear regression was used to identify associations between post-graduate year (PGY), grit, and well-being. Student’s t-test was used to compare grit and well-being scores among male and female trainees. Results 23/38 (60.5%) surgical residents completed the survey. Grit scores ranged from 3 to 4.67 (scale of 1–5) and well-being scores from 24 to 84 (scale of 0–100). There was no correlation between grit and well-being (R 2 = 0.01, p < 0.63) or between PGY class and grit (R 2 = 0.06, p < 0.27). However, there was a positive correlation between PGY class and well-being (R 2 = 0.18, p < 0.05). Female residents trended towards higher grit (4.12 female vs 3.76 male, p < 0.07) and lower well-being (53 vs 60, p < 0.18). Compared with non-surgical residents, there were no significant differences in mean grit or well-being. The pooled trainee group demonstrated a positive correlation between PGY class and well-being (R 2 = 0.09). Faculty reported higher grit (4, p < 0.03) and well-being (68.8, p < 0.002) than residents. Conclusion Despite high overall grit, trainees experience relatively low well-being; this effect is exaggerated in females. Grit and well-being trend to increase with PGY years and as faculty. The lack of association between grit and well-being in trainees suggests that intrinsic grit is not enough; well-being is impacted by external factors and encourages future work to identify and modify these factors for a positive impact on trainees.