| dc.description.abstract | Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with chronic illness are at increased risk for a host of negative psychosocial outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Although studies have shown that illness appraisals (e.g., illness intrusiveness [II], illness uncertainty [IU]) demonstrate consistent associations with such outcomes, fewer studies have examined protective variables. The present study evaluated grit (i.e., perseverance and passion for long-term goals), a novel construct in pediatric psychology, as a protective factor against the untoward effects of illness intrusiveness and uncertainty on psychosocial outcomes in AYAs with chronic illness. Methods: College students with a chronic illness (N=119) completed questionnaires online, including measures of grit, II, IU, depression, anxiety, and emotional well-being (EWB). Results: The overall path analysis demonstrated that increased grit is directly related to decreased depressive/anxious symptoms and increased EWB. Further, analyses indicated that the positive impact of grit on psychosocial outcomes is mediated by illness appraisals (II, IU). This study identified grit as a source of resilience among AYAs with chronic illness. The study expands on the integration of positive psychology and pediatric psychology, by introducing a novel construct to the AYA chronic illness literature, and justifies the need for greater research on the protective role of grit in chronic illness populations. | |
