Perseverative Effort and Grit But Not Gratitude Are Protective Against the Onset of Anxiety for Cognitively At-Risk Individuals

Abstract

Grit and gratitude protect against depression caused by cognitive vulnerability factors like hopelessness and rumination. This study examined whether these personality strengths could buffer against a cognitive vulnerability for anxiety, the looming cognitive style (LCS). A prospective design was used with university students (N = 247; 86.2% female; aged between 18 and 60) completing online questionnaires two times 6 weeks apart that assessed LCS, grit, gratitude, and anxiety and depression. Path analyses revealed that LCS had a significant main effect and a theoretically expected interaction effect on anxiety symptoms with "grit perseverance but not with "grit consistency" or gratitude. Neither LCS, grit perseverance nor gratitude had any effects on depression symptoms, although an effect emerged for grit consistency. This study is the first to our knowledge to examine how personality strengths protect individuals against a cognitive vulnerability that is more specific to anxiety symptomatology than to depression. Along with other studies, the findings further suggest that a crucial way grit and personality strengths provide benefit is by protecting against cognitive vulnerabilities.