Impact of grit levels on surgical patients’ quality of postoperative recovery

Editor - Recovery and outcomes after surgery are multifaceted, covering dimensions of both physical and mental wellbeing. Notably, the importance of psychological variables in early postoperative convalescence is becoming increasingly recognised. Grit, or perseverance and passion for long-term goals, is one of the most powerful psychological predictors of human success. Individuals with higher levels of grit have greater resilience and ability to persevere through challenges and adversity that arise during the path towards their goals. The trait of grit is relevant to patients undergoing surgery, who can experience challenges during their path of postoperative recovery towards functional biopsychosocial health. These challenges arise in any combination of biological, psychological, or social domains.

We hypothesised that surgical patients with higher levels of grit would demonstrate greater psychological resistance, and as a result a better quality of postoperative recovery...