An Intervention to Build Grit, Resilience and a Growth Mindset in Physiotherapy Students.

BACKGROUND

Grit, resilience and a growth mindset are traits that help health professional students respond positively and adapt to the challenges of the clinical learning environment. The aim of this study was to determine if a 5-week education-based intervention can enhance grit, resilience and a growth mindset in physiotherapy students on clinical placement.

METHODS

In this single group intervention study, physiotherapy students participated in a 5-week group-based, online educational intervention for 1 h per week during their first clinical placement. Grit, resilience, mindset type and academic tenacity (a combined measure of these traits) were measured using validated tools pre- and post-intervention. Differences in scores were analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-three students (62% female) completed the intervention, and 70 (64% female) completed measures at both baseline and follow-up. No changes in outcome measures were seen across the overall participant cohort post-intervention. However, students with a fixed or undecided mindset at baseline significantly improved mindset type (p = 0.043 and p = 0.035) and those with low academic tenacity at baseline had significantly higher levels following intervention (p = < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Tailored interventions that target grit, resilience and a growth mindset hold promise for enhancing growth mindset, academic tenacity and possibly grit in students with low baseline levels of these traits. Further research is needed on how best to match interventions to students' baseline traits, ultimately fostering adaptable health professionals capable of excelling in complex, high-pressure clinical environments.