Papers of the Week

Individuals with chronic pain frequently experience emotional distress, negative beliefs, functional limitations, and poor sense of control. Grit, the ability to persist toward goals through passion and perseverance, has been linked to enhanced coping in chronic medical conditions but has received limited attention in the context of chronic pain. This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship of grit to adjustment in participants with chronic pain (N = 58). Controlling for pain severity, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, greater grit was associated with lower pain catastrophizing (p = .000) and pain interference (p = .02) and greater life control (p = .02); grit was not significantly related to pain distress (p = .07). Prospective, longitudinal research on the relationship between grit and pain outcomes is warranted.