Prevalence of Imposter Syndrome and Its Risk Factors Among University of Sharjah Medical Students

Background<br /> Imposter syndrome describes an internal experience of intellectual fraud, where individuals attribute theiracademic or occupational endeavors and achievements primarily to luck rather than to their diligent efforts.Additionally, the stringent standards and prerequisites set by medical institutions create an environmentconducive to impostorism among medical students. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence andseverity of imposter syndrome among medical students at the University of Sharjah. Methodology<br /> This research was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 400 participants enrolled in thestudy using non-probability convenience sampling, but 399 participants, 49.4% (197) from colleges ofmedicine and 50.6% (202) from dentistry, successfully completed the questionnaire. Participants completeda questionnaire containing the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale. Statistical associations betweenvariables were tested using the chi-square test. Individuals with chronic medical conditions or those usingmedications with known psychiatric side effects were excluded. Results<br /> The analyzed sample comprised 399 students, with 64.7% females and 35.3% males. Most respondents werefrom year 2 (21.3%, 85), while the fewest were from year 5 (18.3%, 73). The majority of students fell into thecategories of moderate (46.4%, 185) and frequent (35.8%, 143) imposter experiences. Among all investigatedcharacteristics, pure academic factors such as field of study (p = 0.001), study phases (p = 0.032), advisor'sattitude (p = 0.029), and comparison with peers' performance and grades (p = 0.024 and <0.001, respectively)exhibited the highest significant association with the severity of imposter syndrome. Conclusions<br /> This study revealed a high prevalence of imposter syndrome among medical students, emphasizing the needfor comprehensive strategies and interventions targeting academically associated risk factors to alleviate theburden of imposter syndrome