Higher Grit Scores Are Associated With Greater Scholarly Productivity Among Orthopaedic Surgery Residents

Abstract

Introduction: Scholarly research is a core component of resident education, designed to advance the orthopaedic field while facilitating an evidence-based approach to patient care. Grit, defined as trait-level perseverance, has been shown in prior studies to predict clinical performance, burnout rates, and residency match rates. No previous study has investigated the relationship between grit and research productivity. Study Description: This study is a cross-sectional survey of orthopaedic surgery residents from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Residents were assessed via online survey of scholarly productivity and the 12-item grit scale. Methods: Surveys distributed to the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons residents assessed the number of peer-reviewed publications, presentations, first author publications, book chapters, and articles. Respondents were also evaluated through the 12-item grit scale, with scores ranging from 1 (minimum grit) to 5 (maximum grit). Residents were divided into low (score ≤3.4), medium (score: 3.5 to 3.9), and high grit (score ≥4.0) cohorts. Analysis of variance analysis compared the cohorts regarding the scholarly productivity metrics. Linear regression models analyzed grit score as a continuous variable. Findings were statistically significant at P < 0.05. Results: The mean grit score was 3.8. The high grit cohort was more likely to have increased publications, presentations, articles, and first authorship (P < 0.0001). Analyzed as a continuous variable, increased grit positively correlated with increased publications, presentations, articles, first authorship, and book chapters (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The results suggest that higher grit scores are associated with scholarly productivity.