Table 1 - uploaded by Muhammad Zahid Latif
Content may be subject to copyright.
Gender wise answers to Imposter Syndrome Questions.
Source publication
Background: Imposter syndrome (IS) first described in 1978 is recently gaining more importance due to its long lasting, strong and detrimental implications on the Medical students as well as the institutions and society. The sufferers are competent objectively but they have a secret fear in them, that they are inadequate in the skills and knowledge...
Citations
... The impostor phenomenon (IP) is marked by feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite clear evidence of one's abilities and accomplishments (Bravata et al., 2020;Clance & Imes, 1978). Individuals with IP do not attribute their performance to their actual competency; instead, they impute their triumphs to external variables like luck or assistance from others while viewing failures as proof of their professional incompetence (Neureiter & Traut-Mattausch, 2016;Qureshi et al., 2017). Originally identified among high-achieving women, IP is now observed across diverse populations, including various professions and cultures (Bussotti, 1990;Chae et al., 1995;Fried-Buchalter, 1997;Henning et al., 1998). ...
This exploratory study examined the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between the imposter phenomenon and academic performance among college students and further investigated age as a moderator. A sample of 150 students (66 males, 84 females; mean age = 24.11) completed assessments using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Academic Performance Scale. Correlation analysis indicated a significant inverse association of the imposter phenomenon with self-esteem and academic performance. Mediation analysis suggested that self-esteem completely mediated the relationship between the imposter phenomenon and academic performance. Moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the strength of this indirect effect was non-significant among younger students but intensified with age. These findings highlight self-esteem as a key mechanism linking imposter feelings to academic performance and underscore the need to consider age differences in intervention strategies. Future research with larger and more diverse samples is recommended to further validate these findings.
... This cross-sectional study was approved by the Isra University Ethical Review Board (ERB letter no: IU/RR-10-IRC -23/N/2023/1032) and was c o n d u c t e d a t I s r a U n i v e r s i t y Hyderabad, Pakistan from May 2023 to October 2023. A total of 296 participants were selected using a nonprobability purposive sampling technique, keeping anticipated frequency of Imposter Syndrome at 14 47%, confidence level at 95%, and margin of error at 5% (OpenEpi). The inclusion criteria were both medical and non-medical undergraduate students between the ages of 17 and 25 who agreed to take part in the study. ...
... In the current study, IP was found to be present in 55.74% of the study participants. Similar rates of 32%, 47.5%, 57.8%, and 62.8% have been observed in previous studies conducted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and 14,[20][21][22] China, respectively. ...
Objectives: To investigate the association between Imposter Phenomenon (IP) and demographic variables, examine its correlation with Burnout Syndrome (BOS), and assess the predictive relationships between demographic factors and IP with the three domains of burnout-Depressive Anxiety Syndrome, Depersonalization, and Personal Achievement-among undergraduate students.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Isra University, Hyderabad-Pakistan on 296 undergraduate students. Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory- Student Survey (MBI-SS) were used to measure imposterism and burnout, respectively. The association between IP and demographic variables was assessed using the Chi-square test, while Pearson's correlation evaluated the relationship between IP and BOS. Multivariate regression analysis was employed to predict BOS.
Results: The mean age of participants was 20.75±1.80 years, and 55.74% exhibited IP, with a mean CIPS score of 51.05±19.58. Female gender, urban residence and the medical field of study had a statistically significant association with IP (p<0.05). IP demonstrated a strong positive correlation with Depressive Anxiety Syndrome (r=0.96, p<0.001) and Depersonalization (r=0.92, p<0.001), and a negative correlation with Personal Achievement (r=-0.94, p<0.001). Multivariate regression analysis identified IP, female gender, and the medical field of study as significant predictors of BOS (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Undergraduate students exhibit a remarkably high prevalence of IP which is significantly associated with the female gender, medical field of study, and urban residence. IP is also positively correlated with BOS and is a significant predictor of BOS in undergraduate students. This emphasizes the need for targeted psychological interventions to mitigate its impact on students’ mental well-being.
... Thus, we find links that literature has made implicit attempts to link buoyancy with the imposter phenomenon. Recent scholarship on students in different academic fields has found that Imposter syndrome is associated with depression and anxiety among students (Qureshi, Taj, Latif, 2017;Wang et al., 2019;Bouthello & Roulet, 2018). ...
Purpose: Phubbing refers to the act of ignoring the presence of others around you by fixating one's eyes on a digital device. The behavioural phenomenon of Phubbing has received much traction recently with the increasing dependence of individuals on internet-enabled-digital devices. Students have now been using digital gadgets to achieve their academic goals. Hence, we assume that the phenomenon of phubbing may also be prevalent among students, which might influence their ability to overcome everyday academic challenges (low levels of academic buoyancy, i.e., the ability of students to deal with their academic tasks). Design: The present work explores the relationship between the two recently studied concepts of Phubbing and Academic Buoyancy. The current study collected data from students of management schools ranked among the Top 10 in India, as per India's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking for 2024. The authors used survey methodology to collect data, which involved sending a questionnaire link to 300 students, out of which 258 students reverted back to the survey. After filtering out the data for incomplete surveys, the final sample included 203 students. Reliable and validated psychometric scales were used to analyze the constructs of the current study. A 7-point Likert scale was used to assess each item. For the analysis, structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed. Findings: The results supported our hypothesis at a 5 per cent level of significance. We find that the act of phubbing is associated with lower academic buoyancy among the students, and the relation between the two is mediated by imposter syndrome. The results show that phubbing can lead to a detrimental impact on students' capability to perform effectively. The frequent display of phubbing indicates grave behavioural issues because of imposter syndrome, which manifests as lower academic buoyancy. Academic practitioners can enhance their understanding of the factors leading to lower capabilities among students and approach the problem accordingly. Originality: The current study extends the academic literature by showing the impact of phubbing on the levels of academic buoyancy. The study also suggests that phubbing would influence academic buoyancy through the individual's level of feelings of imposter syndrome. The higher the phubbing, the higher the feeling of imposter syndrome, which would lead to a lower level of academic buoyancy.
... In an academically stressful and competitive institution, imposter phenomenon has a detrimental, longer lasting and strong impact on medical trainees and under graduates. 6 Some studies have reported correlation of imposter phenomenon with perfectionism; these individuals set their standards very high and then they deny or externalize their abilities or success. 7 In another study it was reported that imposters are scared of the negative remarks or evaluation by the others. ...
... According to a previous study in another private medical college in Pakistan prevalence of imposter phenomenon was 47.5% and out of these 53.5% were females. 6 A study from CMH Lahore reported prevalence of impostorism to be 30.4%. 18 Impostor phenomenon is often reported among females and correlates well with perfectionism, feeling of guilt about their success and fear or apprehension about failure 19,20 . ...
Background: Imposter phenomenon is defined as a self-doubt of accomplishments among high achievers. This study was conducted to determine the frequency and association of imposter phenomenon with self-esteem, personality characteristics and gender among medical and allied health under graduates of a private medical college in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study conducted at Lahore Medical & Dental College and Lahore College of Physical Therapy. The study was approved by the institutional review board. Target population of the study included students of medical, dental and physical therapy of all the professional years. Study tool was a questionnaire comprising of 4 sections; section 1 was based upon demographic information, section 2 "Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale" (CIPS), section 3 "Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale" and section 4 "Ten Item Personality Inventory". Study questionnaire was distributed to 900 students, out of which 833 filled and returned. Response rate was 92%. Data analysis was done with SPSS 27 version. Results: Out of total 833 participants 28.8% (240) were males and 71.2% (593) females. On the basis of CIPS, 50.4% (420) participants were imposter negative having few imposter feelings (CIPS ≤60), 44.8% (373) were having significant imposter feelings (CIPS score: 61-80) and 4.7% (40) exhibited severe imposter experiences (CIPS >80). Prevalence of imposter phenomenon in the participants was 49.5% (413/833). There was significant negative association between imposter phenomenon and self-esteem (p=0.006), extraversion (p=0.000) and conscientiousness (p=0.042). Probability of imposter phenomenon was significantly higher (p=0.002) in females as compared to the males and in the elderly age group. Conclusion: The prevalence of imposter phenomenon was 49.5% and low self-esteem 19.7%. The imposter phenomenon was significantly associated with low scores in self-esteem, conscientiousness, and extraversion, as well as with gender and older age groups.
... Some families give the label of smart one to their children, who may feel burdened to live up to the label (Harvey & Katz, 1985). Anxiety and depressive symptoms accompany increased levels of imposter syndrome (Qureshi et al., 2017), in addition to aberrant perfection (perfectionism), inadequate work output, low job satisfaction, and poorer corporate citizenship (Vergauwe et al., 2015), lack of confidence, low levels of self-esteem and a labile self-concept (Gibson & Schwartz, 2008). Although being seen as more competent by teachers, colleagues, relatives, and society perceive them which in turn, has a deteriorated impact on mind, body, and personalities as well as academic and professional development (Qureshi et al., 2017), thus negatively impacting academic and career development (Urdan, 2004). ...
... Anxiety and depressive symptoms accompany increased levels of imposter syndrome (Qureshi et al., 2017), in addition to aberrant perfection (perfectionism), inadequate work output, low job satisfaction, and poorer corporate citizenship (Vergauwe et al., 2015), lack of confidence, low levels of self-esteem and a labile self-concept (Gibson & Schwartz, 2008). Although being seen as more competent by teachers, colleagues, relatives, and society perceive them which in turn, has a deteriorated impact on mind, body, and personalities as well as academic and professional development (Qureshi et al., 2017), thus negatively impacting academic and career development (Urdan, 2004). Students in college who experience the imposter phenomenon might additionally exhibit symptoms like those of moderate depression (McGregor et al., 2008). ...
... Overall, the results were consistent with the hypothesis that the imposter phenomenon and self-handicapping are positively correlated and where, according to him, when a person develops self-doubts as well as doubt on his accomplishments, he would be more prospective to get himself engaged in a behavior of self-handicapping before being evaluated. Qureshi et al., (2017) conducted research in order to determine the incidence of imposter syndrome among Pakistani medical students in Lahore's private medical college, constituting a total of 150 MBBS final-year students. The research was cross-sectional descriptive research. ...
The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the imposter phenomenon and self-handicapping behaviors among medical students (MBBS), with a focus on the moderating role of self-care. For this purpose, a sample of N=300 medical students (n=150 men and n=150 women) from private as well as government medical colleges of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Lahore were assessed, and the data was collected via demographic form and three questionnaires measuring the study variables. The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (Clance, 1985), Self-Handicapping Scale (Kaur & Raji, 2022), and Self-Compassion Scale Short-form's subscale named self-care (Raes et al., 2011) were used to measure one of the study variables. Correlational analysis, as well as regression and moderation analyses, were performed in order to explore the relationships between the study variables. The statistical analysis revealed that the imposter phenomenon positively correlated with self-handicapping. The interaction effect of the imposter phenomenon and self-care on self-handicapping came out to be significant. The moderator graph showed that self-care weakened the relationship between the imposter phenomenon and self-handicapping. Moreover, the t-test findings revealed that female medical students scored higher on all the study variables except self-care than their male counterparts.
... But currently, no any research has been conducted to develop a computer based model to determine the level of IP in Sri Lanka. Some studies have been done to determine the extent to which imposter syndrome affects university students (Qureshi et al., 2017). Similarly, several studies have been conducted on how imposter syndrome affects university students based on factors, such as perfectionism, psychological distress, mental health and personality traits related to imposter syndrome (Wang, Sheveleva and Permyakova, 2019). ...
... For instance, Pakistan and Malaysia both had prevalence rates of 47% and 45.7%, respectively, for IS among medical students. (Qureshi et al., 2017) Only one research has been published on IS regarding Sri Lanka. The number shows that the topic of Impostor syndrome is new to Sri Lanka. ...
Imposter Syndrome is another name for perceived fraudulence, which is characterized by feelings of personal inadequacy and self-doubt that endure despite education, achievement, experience and success. This is not a disease or abnormality, so there is no obvious reason to imposter emotions. Therefore, even if they suffer from imposter syndrome, they are not able to know this. The results of an undergraduate with imposter syndrome may be inappropriate academic choices, the impact on mental health and social isolation. The aim of the present study is to develop a computerized framework based on a data mining strategy to identify the Severity Level of imposter syndrome for Sri Lankan undergraduates. Thus, this research shows whether the person suffers from imposter syndrome as Low or Moderate or High in level. During the model development, a formal questionnaire was developed examining different influencing factors like depression, anxiety, parentification, family expectations, perfectionism, and low trait self-esteem that can affect the imposter syndrome of an undergraduate and was used to collect data from Sri Lankan undergraduates. In this study, five different unsupervised machine learning techniques, namely K-means, K-medoids, Spectral Clustering, Hierarchical Clustering and Gaussian Mixture Model Clustering were used. Clustering was selected as the best approach as it allows to detect patterns and similarities associated with undergraduates linked to imposter syndrome. To calculate the goodness of the clustering algorithms, the Silhouette index and the Calinski-Harabasz index were used. Among these five clustering algorithms, the best result was shown in the three clusters of K-means Hence, the finalized method helps to predict and classify severity levels of imposter syndrome among Sri Lankan Undergraduates into three groups as low, moderate or high. The research found that among 316 data points, 32.28% showed a low level of imposter syndrome, 16.77% displayed a moderate level, and 50.95% exhibited a high level.
... 2,[5][6][7] Studies of medical students and their experiences with IP are limited. Much of the existing literature examines the presence of IP in medical students based on prevalence, character traits and demographics, [8][9][10][11] rather than the sources that may contribute to the formation of imposter feelings. A scoping review found the prevalence of IP ranges from 22% to 60%. ...
... In summary, while the literature on IP demonstrates this phenomenon is relatively common among medical students, [8][9][10][11] this study was the first to explore sources of imposter feelings in first-year medical students. These results provide medical educators an opportunity to address imposter feelings and to use IP as a conceptual and practical framework for engaging students in sharing early experiences and normalising what is an expectable developmental step in the path to becoming a professional. ...
Introduction:
Imposter phenomenon (IP), feeling as if a person does not belong, has been reported in medical students at various rates. In medical literature, this phenomenon has often been defined as a 'syndrome', but other studies have described it as a dynamic experience that can have various impacts on different people at different time points. Although studies have linked IP with other phenomena such as burnout in residents and physicians, no studies have examined its aetiology nor how these feelings are experienced by medical students.
Methods:
With the use of social identity theory as a framework, the authors analysed 233 reflective essays for elements of IP across eight cohorts of medical students from two institutions. Students responded to a prompt that asked: 'What was one part of your identity that you thought you would have to change in order to become a physician?' Included reflections were analysed using the framework method.
Results:
Elements of IP were identified in 121 reflections (52%) and were categorised into three major themes: (1) Comparing oneself to an idealised image of a medical student, (2) Comparing oneself to an idealised image of a physician and (3) Concerns about presentation of self to others. Each theme contained two or more sub-themes. Commonly, students discussed how their own personality traits, experiences, backgrounds and identities cast doubt on their sense of belonging in medicine.
Discussion:
The results of this study were consistent across both institutions, suggesting that imposter feelings are common among all first-year medical students. However, the extent of the impact of these feelings on their identity formation depends on the individual lived experiences of students and the context in which these feelings arise. Encouraging reflective journaling and sharing of stories from all stages of education can normalise imposter feelings during the development of the professional identity as a physician.
... Among medical students, studies demonstrate IP prevalence's of up to 50% [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Some studies have also found IP to occur more frequently in women [13,22]. In medical students, IP has been associated with feelings of shame and inadequacy [23], stress [13,20], anxiety [16,18], depression [16], burnout [16,17], and suicidal ideation [24]. ...
... Regarding gender, our results showed that female medical students had significantly higher CIPS scores and lower BRS scores than male students. Other studies have also found higher IP [3,12,16,17,22,43] and lower resilience [3,45,48] among female than male medical students, although these results are not unanimous. This study does not answer why our female participants had higher IP and lower resilience than their male counterparts. ...
Background
Concern over medical students’ well-being is a global issue, with studies showing high psychological distress rates. Impostor Phenomenon (IP), i.e., underestimating one’s abilities, attributing success to external factors, and feeling like a fraud, has been implicated as one reason behind these troubling findings. Meanwhile, resilience has been suggested to protect against psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of IP and its association with resilience among undergraduate medical students.
Methods
The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and sociodemographic questions were completed by 457 medical students registered in their 2-10th semester at a Swedish university. Of the respondents, 62.6% identified as women, 36.1% as men, and 1.3% as others.
Results
The prevalence of IP was 58.4% (defined as CIPS score ≥ 62). According to the CIPS scoring guidelines, 10.3% of participants had low IP, 29.5% moderate, 41.6% frequent, and 18.6% intense IP. Of all participants, almost 90% experienced at least moderate and 60.2% frequent to intense IP. Women had significantly higher CIPS scores and lower BRS scores than men. In contrast, neither attending semester nor age group significantly impacted CIPS scores. Finally, there was a moderate inverse correlation between the level of resilience and the prevalence of IP.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that the majority of Swedish medical students feels like an impostor, and of these students, most do so frequently. Furthermore, IP is more prevalent among female students – who also show lower levels of resilience. Moreover, our results indicated that IP could hinder achieving higher resilience. Future longitudinal studies should investigate how gender norms may contribute to IP feelings and explore the potential advantages of counteracting IP and strengthening resilience among medical students. However, targeted interventions addressing individual students’ IP and resilience are insufficient. There is also a need to address structural aspects of the educational environment, such as gender stereotypes, that may contribute to IP.
... Imposter syndrome (IS) is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals persistently doubt their abilities and accomplishments, despite external evidence to the contrary. 1 It is commonly experienced among high achievers, including students across different healthcare disciplines, such as medical 1-4 and nursing students. 5 Of importance, though, the research has linked IS to psychological morbidities such as emotional exhaustion, distress, depression, and anxiety on students in health disciplinary fields. ...
... These findings were consistent with relevant studies revealing that the ratio of males to females experiencing impostorism was similar and that gender was not statistically significantly associated with IS. 2,11,18 In contrast, previous literature has proven that women have higher rates of impostor feelings compared to their male counterparts. 1,4,19 Impostorism is pervasively widespread among high-achieving women due to several causative factors, including stereotypes of gender roles in the workplace and family dynamics, despite growing societal and academic demands. 20 Interestingly, our study results emphasized the importance of self-esteem in the IS, indicating that students with low self-esteem were more susceptible to encountering impostor feelings than their peers with greater self-esteem. ...
Introduction
Imposter syndrome is common among health disciplinary students, leading to serious consequences. However, the impact of imposter syndrome on self-esteem and quitting intention among respiratory therapy students has not been well researched.
Objective
To report on the prevalence of imposter syndrome and assess its impacts on self-esteem and quitting intention among respiratory therapy students in Saudi Arabia.
Methods
A nonprobability cross-sectional questionnaire using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was self-administered and distributed among respiratory therapy students between October 2022 and April 2023. Data analysis was performed using Descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results
Of the 1500 respiratory therapy students invited to participate in the study, 901 surveys were completed; and thus, included in the final analysis. Of whom, 92% were presented with imposter syndrome: 44% with moderate, 35% with frequent, and 13% with intense feelings. In addition, 60% of respiratory therapy students and interns experienced low self-esteem, while only 0.5% indicated high self-esteem. More than 50% of the study participants thought about quitting the respiratory therapy program, and 30% have been diagnosed with psychological disorders. Furthermore, there was a significant association between imposter syndrome and low self-esteem, p < 0.001. Factors associated with imposter syndrome and low self-esteem were family income (<0.005) and parents’ education (<0.005), quitting intention (<0.005), and having been diagnosed with psychological disorders (<0.005). Genders, academic levels, and grade point average were not associated with either imposter syndrome or self-esteem (>0.005).
Conclusion
Imposter syndrome and low self-esteem are prevalent among respiratory therapy students, both of which are associated with considering leaving the respiratory therapy program. Effective interventions should be implemented to ameliorate the symptoms imposter syndrome and low self-esteem; thus, improving the academic experience of respiratory therapy students.
... A student was considered to have IS if they answered "yes" to five or more questions. The YIS and the RSES were adapted without alteration from previously published research studies and are considered reliable [27,34]. ...
Imposter syndrome (IS) and low self-esteem (SE) are common issues affecting medical students that can impact their well-being and development. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with IS and SE among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, 523 medical students in years 2–6 at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, completed validated questionnaires on IS (Young Imposter Scale) and SE (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). Sociodemographic factors were also collected. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze IS and SE prevalence and correlates. Five hundred twenty-three students with a mean age of 22.09 ± 1.933 participated. The prevalence of low SE and positive IS was 17.6% and 24.3%, respectively. IS and SE had a significant negative correlation (p<0.001). Several sociodemographic factors were associated with increased IS, including 2nd and 4th-year students, forced study choice, and a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0–3.49 (P<0.05). Paternal education beyond high school was associated with lower IS (P<0.05). Logistic regression analyses confirmed that 2nd-year students had a 3.88 times higher odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI); 2.19–6.88), and 4th-year students had a 2.37 times higher OR (95% CI; 1.40–4.02) of IS than other years. For SE, advanced academic years, forced study choice, 7+ hours of sleep, and a GPA above 3.5 were associated with higher levels (P<0.05). Negative self-appraisals were associated with lower SE, while positive attitudes were associated with higher SE (P<0.05). Our study reveals that IS and low SE are prevalent among Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, medical students. Therefore, intervention courses that address these issues in medical education at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, may be necessary to support medical students’ well-being and academic success.
