Imposter Syndrome among Pakistani Medical Students

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><strong>Background: </strong>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 and this secret will be open to others anytime. It is strongly associated with burnout phenomenon, anxiety, depression, many other psychological effects and many significant implications on medical education and training. Suffering students develop different styles of learning and find it difficult to learn through conventional or usual teaching strategies.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study objective was to find out the frequency of IS among Pakistani medical students.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>This was a cross sectional, descriptive study, conducted in a private medical college of Lahore, Pakistan in November 2016. Sampling technique was convenient non-probability type and study instrument was 08 items questionnaire. The students who answered “Yes” for five or more out of eight questions were considered positive for Imposter Syndrome.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 143 final year MBBS students 58.7% were females & 41.3% males. Sixty eight (68) students (47.5%) were found having Imposter Syndrome according to the Young Imposter scale (YIS) used as questionnaire. Out of these 45 (53.5%) were females and 23 (38.9%) males.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Imposter syndrome or phenomenon may be present in significant frequencies and number among medical students. This may have detrimental effects on body, mind, personalities and academic as well as professional developments. Efforts should be made to find out IS/IP among students and to train both students and teachers.</p>

Impostorism: An evolutionary concept analysis

“…Individuals working in highly competitive, achievement‐oriented environments may be more susceptible to impostorism . This tendency holds true for students in highly competitive academic programs as well . Chae et al reported that the incidence of impostorism was higher in the service professionals, which corresponds to the findings from Henning et al In addition, working in an unfamiliar role while being surrounded by colleagues with more experience potentially influences impostor tendencies .…”

“…Impostors often describe unbalanced senses of self‐worth, which manifest in reports of decreased self‐efficacy, diminished self‐confidence, feelings of inferiority, and shame . These threats to well‐being may filter into the workplace, leading to reports of exhaustion, work‐related strain, and burnout . Such feelings may develop in relation to attempts at reaching impossibly high standards of perfection…”

Prevalence of Impostor Phenomenon in Physiotherapy Professionals: A Pan India Survey

“…Similar results were seen in the previous studies indicating no significant difference in males and females. 21,22,23,24,25 In the study titled 'Family Medicine Residents and the Impostor Phenomenon' conducted by Kathy Oriel (et al), females were more likely than males to be identified as impostors. 26 There are similar also studies which shows that the prevalence of Impostor Phenomenon in seen more in females.…”

“…26 There are similar also studies which shows that the prevalence of Impostor Phenomenon in seen more in females. 2,6,21,27 As the study progressed the category took in consideration was of academician and clinician, where 95% of clinicians and 5% academicians showed their interest in study. From 189 clinicians, 14 had few impostor characteristics, 108 Physiotherapists had moderate impostor characteristics, 62 were categorized as often impostor characteristics and 5 experienced intense impostor characteristics.…”

“…Some similar studies were done in different geographical areas and professions with similar results. 3,4,6,15,16,21,26,22,27,29,30…”