Impostorism and Psychological Distress among College Students of Color: A moderation analysis of Shame-proneness, Race, Gender, and Race-Gender Interactions

This study examined the moderating effect of shame-proneness on the relationships between the impostor phenomenon and anxiety and the impostor phenomenon and depression. A secondary objective addressed gaps in the literature by examining group differences for shame-proneness and impostorism. Three hundred and four college students of color (Asian American, Latinx, African American) completed measures for impostorism, psychological distress (anxiety and depression), and shame-proneness. Using Bayesian methods, the moderating role of shame-proneness was tested within the overall sample, as well as within subsamples of race, gender, and race-by-gender, via moderated moderation. Patterns within the data suggested that greater levels of shame-proneness were associated with a more pronounced relationship between impostorism and anxiety. Empirical evidence for this pattern was the strongest for African American participants. In addition, certain groups reported higher scores for shame-proneness (Asian American women) and the impostor phenomenon (Asian Americans). Statistical support for race-by-gender effects was virtually indistinguishable from the statistical threshold but ultimately did not meet the predetermined criteria (probability of direction ≥ 95%). Researchers, clinicians, and university personnel should be cognizant that (a) African American students have heightened vulnerabilities that worsen the effects of the impostor phenomenon, and (b) specific groups are more likely to report higher levels of impostorism and shame-proneness. Future investigations should explore the etiology of these group differences, moderating effects, and interventions that improve the experiences and well-being of Latinx, African American, and Asian American college students.