Relationship of Grit and Resilience to Academic Success among Dental Interns in Western Tamil Nadu – A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Achieving a high level of academic achievement during dental training is of paramount importance. The practice of dentistry has been widely acknowledged as being associated with high levels of stress. In addition to the intellectual skills usually important to identify and develop in medical professionals, there are noncognitive traits such as grit and resilience that are equally important. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand and assess the relationship of grit and resilience to academic success among dental interns in the region of Western Tamil Nadu. Materials and Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design based on an interview schedule through online delivery methods using the Short Grit and Brief Resilience Scales, in all the dental colleges in Western Tamil Nadu. Scores for both scales ranged from 1 to 5. Pretested questionnaire with 24 questions was used. Ethical clearance and consent were obtained before the study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 17, and the P value was kept <0.05 for significance. A Chi-square test was applied for categorical variables. Results: Out of the 214 respondents, 78% were female. About 60.7% of the respondents reported low grit and 62.1% reported moderate resilience. Self-reported above-average academic success was 74.8%. Self-reported academic success was significantly associated with grit (P < 0.05) and resilience (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that grit and resilience are important factors that are indicative of dental students’ academic success. Improving grit and resilience may be an important approach to enhance dental training and academic success.