Leadership

A Fast Track Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.

Authors:

Bruce DeRuntz, PhD
Harvey Henson, PhD
Justin T. McDaniel, PhD
Julie Dunston, PhD

Objective:

We conducted a prospective cohort study to examine the effects of a leadership development program on psychological grit and job readiness among college students, primarily as a means to strengthen the public health workforce.

Methods:

College students opted in to a two-year leadership development program (LDP; N = 31), and college major-matched controls were recruited to complete similarly administered measures (N = 93). Directed by the Social Interdependence Model, LDP participants engaged in group physical activity sessions, university student leadership opportunities, mentoring, and team-ship training. Job readiness scores and Grit-S questionnaire scores were collected at follow-up. Adjusted regression models were estimated to compare outcomes by group.

Results:

Grit-S scores were 12% higher among LDP participants, and job readiness scores were 19% higher. Additionally, regression results showed that participation in the LDP was associated with higher scores on the Grit-S scale (b = 1.39, p = .004) and job readiness scale (b = .81, p = .03).

Conclusions:

Our findings show that graduating from a Social Interdependence-based LDP was associated with significantly higher job-readiness and grit scores compared with matched peers.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
Article Link: https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.13.1.1