title: Grit in patients with substance use disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Grit is an emerging concept in positive psychology, defined as the ability to be persistent and focused in pursuit of long-term goals. This concept has received a great deal of interest recently because of its robust ability to predict success and well-being across a wide variety of domains. The study aim was to examine the clinical relevance of the construct of grit among patients with substance use disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatients on a detoxification unit were enrolled from September 2013 to August 2015 (N = 673). Psychometric properties of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) were reported. We then examined sociodemographic and clinical variables that might be associated with grit in this population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this sample of patients with substance use disorders, the total Grit-S demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Grit-S scores were higher among older patients and those who were employed; scores were lower among those never married, diagnosed with a co-occurring psychiatric disorder, or who had used heroin during the past month, according to bivariate analyses. Grit-S scores remained associated with age, employment, and presence of a co-occurring psychiatric disorder in adjusted analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides initial support for the utility of the Grit-S among those with substance use disorders; this novel measure has not been previously reported in clinical populations. Research examining grit prospectively is needed to determine whether the links between grit and outcomes observed in other populations apply to patients with substance use disorders. (Am J Addict 2016;25:652-658).
authors.affiliation: Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.|Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Margaret L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.affiliation: Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.|Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: R Kathryn
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Psychiatric Biostatistics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.|Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Garrett M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fitzmaurice
authors.affiliation: Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts.|Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Weiss