Objective: To investigate the prevalence and severity of the impostor phenomenon and social anxiety among medical students and to explore the association between the two.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study surveyed 310 MBBS students at a medical university in Pakistan. The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) was used to assess impostor traits while the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) assessed social anxiety.
Results: Both impostor phenomenon and social anxiety were found to be prevalent in medical students. Among the participants, 56.8% identified as “impostors”, with a mean CIPS score of 63.76±13.577 while 68.3% exhibited social anxiety traits with a mean SIAS score of 42.39± 13.973). The impostor phenomenon and social anxiety demonstrated a moderate positive correlation (rs = +0.588) and a significant difference in social anxiety levels among low, medium, and high CIPS groups was observed (H (2, N=310) = 77.930, p
Key words: Imposter syndrome, social phobia, medical education.
|
