Am I A Fraud? Occurrence and Factors Associated with Impostor Phenomenon among Medical Students of Khartoum University, 2022.

Authors

Keywords:

Impost or, Imposter, Impostorism, Depression, anxiety, Burnout, Self-esteem, Perfectionism, family dynamics

Abstract

Background: The impostor phenomenon (IP) is the tendency to attribute success to external factors rather than to one’s abilities. It is frequent among students and has a negative impact on their wellbeing. This study aimed to assess the occurrence and mental health factors associated with IP in medical students.

Methods: Cross-sectional study of University of Khartoum Medical students (December 2021–January 2022), using convenience sampling. We collected the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4: anxiety and depression), 2-item Maslach B burnout Inventory (MBI), and Single-Item Self-Esteem Scale (SISE). Data was analyzed using SPSS with correlation analyses, linear regression, and Chi-square tests.

Results: Among 409 medical students, the impostor phenomenon (IP) prevalence was 52.8% (216 students), with a mean CIPS score of 63.37 ± 17.02. IP was more common in females (71.8%) and students aged 19–21 years (40.7%). Anxiety (41.6%), depression (48.7%), and burnout (39.6% emotional exhaustion; 26.9% depersonalization) were prevalent, with higher rates in females. Regression analysis showed significant predictors of IP, including burnout (+1.32 points per unit, p < 0.001), perfectionism (+0.86 points per unit, p < 0.001), parental overprotection (+2.43 points per unit, p < 0.001), and depression (+2.90 points, p = 0.024), while self-esteem showed a negative association (−4.19 points per unit, p < 0.001). Gender differences were observed in three CIPS items, with stronger female endorsements.

Conclusions: IP is prevalent and linked to family dynamics, personality traits, and mental health issues. Efforts to increase awareness and facilitate IP management should be implemented.

References

Clance PR, Imes SA. The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy (Chic). 1978;15(3):241.

Clance PR. The impostor phenomenon: Overcoming the fear that haunts your success. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers; 1985.

Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, Madhusudhan DK, Taylor KT, Clark DM, et al. Prevalence, predictors, and treatment of impostor syndrome: a systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35:1252-75.

Alrayyes S, Dar UF, Alrayes M, Alghutayghit A, Alrayyes N. Burnout and imposter syndrome among Saudi young adults: The strings in the puppet show of psychological morbidity. Saudi Med J. 2020;41(2):189.

Egwurugwu JN, Ugwuezumba PC, Ohamaeme MC, Dike EI, Eberendu I, Egwurugwu E, Ohamaeme R, Egwurugwu U. Relationship between self-esteem and impostor syndrome among undergraduate medical students in a Nigerian university. Int J Brain Cogn Sci. 2018;7(1):9-16.

Bruni F. Where you go is not who you'll be: An antidote to the college admissions mania. New York: Grand Central Publishing; 2015.

Rosenthal S, Schlussel Y, Yaden M, DeSantis J, Trayes K, Pohl C, et al. Persistent impostor phenomenon is associated with distress in medical students. Fam Med. 2021;53(2):118-22.

Pannhausen S, Klug K, Rohrmann S. Never good enough: The relation between the impostor phenomenon and multidimensional perfectionism. Curr Psychol. 2020;39(5):1412-7.

Thomas M, Bigatti S. Perfectionism, impostor phenomenon, and mental health in medicine: a literature review. Int J Med Educ. 2020;11:201-213.

Li S, Hughes JL, Thu SM. The links between parenting styles and impostor phenomenon. Psi Chi J Psychol Res. 2014;19(2):80-90.

Hu KS, Chibnall JT, Slavin SJ. Maladaptive perfectionism, impostorism, and cognitive distortions: Threats to the mental health of pre-clinical medical students. Acad Psychiatry. 2019;43(4):381-385.

Calculator.net. available from: https://www.calculator.net/. Last updated 2024. Cited November 7th,2024.

Clance PR. The Impostor Phenomenon: When Success Makes You Feel Like a Fake. Toronto: Bantam Books; 1985. p. 20-22.

Robins RW, Hendin HM, Trzesniewski KH. Measuring global self-esteem: Construct validation of a single-item measure and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2001;27(2):151-161.

Li-Sauerwine S, Rebillot K, Melamed M, Addo N, Lin M. A 2-question summative score correlates with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. West J Emerg Med. 2020;21(3):610-615.

Löwe B, Wahl I, Rose M, Spitzer C, Glaesmer H, Wingenfeld K, Schneider A, Brähler E. A 4-item measure of depression and anxiety: validation and standardization of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) in the general population. J Affect Disord. 2010;122(1-2):86-95.

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Löwe B. An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: the PHQ-4. Psychosomatics. 2009;50(6):613-621.

Woodfin V, Binder PE, Molde H. The psychometric properties of the frost multidimensional perfectionism scale–brief. Front Psychol. 2020;11:1860.

Levant B, Villwock JA, Manzardo AM. Impostorism in third-year medical students: an item analysis using the Clance impostor phenomenon scale. Perspect Med Educ. 2020;9:83-91.

Cokley K, Stone S, Krueger N, Bailey M, Garba R, Hurst A. Self-esteem as a mediator of the link between perfectionism and the impostor phenomenon. Pers Individ Dif. 2018;135:292-297.

Jeledan TM. Prevalence of impostor phenomenon among Saudi female faculty and its roots during their childhood: Qualitative approach. Int J Humanit Soc Sci. 2019;6(2):6-13.

Downloads

Published

2024-11-18

How to Cite

Hamad, H. (2024). Am I A Fraud? Occurrence and Factors Associated with Impostor Phenomenon among Medical Students of Khartoum University, 2022. International Journal of Medical Students. Retrieved from https://ijms.info/IJMS/article/view/2538

Issue

Forthcoming

Section

Original Article

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Hiba Hamad

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site; with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
    2. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
    4. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
    5. The Author represents and warrants that:
      1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
      2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
      3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
      4. the Work has not previously been published;
      5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
      6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
    6. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from the Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Enforcement of copyright

The IJMS takes the protection of copyright very seriously.

If the IJMS discovers that you have used its copyright materials in contravention of the license above, the IJMS may bring legal proceedings against you seeking reparation and an injunction to stop you using those materials. You could also be ordered to pay legal costs.

If you become aware of any use of the IJMS' copyright materials that contravenes or may contravene the license above, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org

 

Infringing material

If you become aware of any material on the website that you believe infringes your or any other person's copyright, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org