Bridging Employment Barriers and Economic Self-Sufficiency: The Transforming Role of Grit

Background and Purpose:
Grit, defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, is a psychological trait that enables individuals to sustain motivation through adversity. While grit has been extensively studied in academic and occupational contexts, its role in broader models of economic behavior remains underexplored. Drawing on the social work theory of Psychological Self-Sufficiency (PSS), which suggests that individuals can transform perceived Employment Barriers (EB) into Employment Hope (EH) and ultimately achieve Economic Self-Sufficiency (ESS), this study examines whether grit—specifically its two components, interest and effort—mediates these pathways.

Methods:
Data were collected from 748 economically and racially marginalized job seekers enrolled in workforce development programs across the U.S. Participants completed surveys measuring Employment Barriers (18 items), Employment Hope (24 items), and Economic Self-Sufficiency (15 items from the WEN scale). Grit was assessed using the 8-item Short Grit Scale, divided into two subscales: interest (e.g., maintaining long-term goals) and effort (e.g., persistence despite difficulty). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using bootstrapped standard errors to test a model in which Employment Barriers predicts grit dimensions, which in turn predict Employment Hope and subsequently Economic Self-Sufficiency.

Results:
Perceived Employment Barriers negatively predicted both grit dimensions—interest (β = -0.307, p < .001) and effort (β = -0.258, p < .001). Both interest (β = 0.139, p = .001) and effort (β = 0.479, p < .001) positively predicted Employment Hope. However, only effort directly predicted Economic Self-Sufficiency (β = 0.117, p = .013). Employment Hope also positively predicted Economic Self-Sufficiency (β = 0.164, p = .001). Notably, effort exhibited both direct and indirect effects on Economic Self-Sufficiency through Emloyment Hope (indirect β = 0.079, p = .002), while interest influenced Economic Self-Sufficiency only indirectly via Employment Hope (β = 0.023, p = .038). The pathway from Employment Barriers to Employment Hope and Economic Self-Sufficiency was largely mediated by the effort dimension of grit.

Implications:
Grit, particularly its effort component, emerged as a key predictor of Economic Self-Sufficiency for individuals experiencing employment-related hardships. These findings suggest that strengthening grit may enhance Employment Hope and promote long-term self-sufficiency among marginalized job seekers. While Economic Self-Sufficiency may be achieved partially through the effort dimension of grit, both interest and effort strengthens Employment Hope to help economically vulnerable individuals achieve Economic Self-Sufficiency. Workforce and community-based programs that aim to reduce Employment Barriers while building individuals’ capacity for sustained effort may be especially effective in disrupting the cycles of economic marginalization and fostering durable positive economic outcomes.

Conclusion:
This study extends the Psychological Self-Sufficiency framework by integrating grit as a mediating positive psychological mechanism that fuels the process of transforming individual and structural Employment Barriers to Employment Hope and Economic Self-Sufficiency. The findings highlight the importance of interventions that not only address internal and external barriers while providing job skills training, but also cultivate psychological resources that serve as the source of strength, which can work synergistically with Employment Hope, to support sustainable economic outcomes for marginalized job seekers.