In the context of a recent outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the present study investigated the buffering effect of grit on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress. The data were collected from 224 Japanese participants (98 females; mean age = 46.56, SD = 13.41) in July 2020. The measures used in this study included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), Short Grit Scale, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS). The results of mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects of consistency of interest, a major component of grit, on psychological distress (depression: estimate = .042; 95% CI: [.008, .088], anxiety: estimate = .021; 95% CI: [.001, .050], and stress: estimate = .030; 95% CI: [.004, .066]); we also found non-significant indirect effects of perseverance of effort, another major component of grit, on psychological distress. These results suggest that consistency of interest buffers the psychological distress induced by fear of COVID-19. Based on these results, it can be concluded that individuals with higher consistency of interest are less likely to experience worsening of their mental health, even if they experience fear of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

在最近爆发的冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的背景下，本研究调查了砂砾对 COVID-19 恐惧与心理困扰之间关系的缓冲作用。这些数据是在 2020 年 7 月从 224 名日本参与者（98 名女性；平均年龄 = 46.56，SD = 13.41）收集的。本研究中使用的测量方法包括对 COVID-19 量表 (FCV-19S)、短砂量表和抑郁、焦虑和压力量表 21 (DASS)。中介分析的结果揭示了兴趣的一致性（毅力的主要组成部分）对心理困扰的显着间接影响（抑郁：估计 = .042；95% CI：[.008, .088]，焦虑：估计 = .021； 95% CI：[.001, .050]，应力：估计 = .030；95% CI：[.004, .066]）；我们还发现坚持不懈的努力没有显着的间接影响，勇气的另一个主要组成部分，关于心理困扰。这些结果表明，兴趣的一致性缓冲了因对 COVID-19 的恐惧而引起的心理困扰。基于这些结果，可以得出结论，即使在大流行期间对 COVID-19 感到恐惧，兴趣一致性较高的个人也不太可能经历心理健康恶化。