Table_1_Impostor Phenomenon and Its Relationship to Self-Esteem Among Students at an International Medical College in the Middle East: A Cross Sectional Study.DOCX

The atmosphere of constant scrutiny of academic ability that prevails in medical colleges may leave some students at risk of expressing feelings of intellectual fraudulence and phoniness. Impostor phenomenon (IP) traits have been associated with anxiety, depression, job dissatisfaction, and poor professional performance. Internationally trained junior doctors exhibit stronger IP feelings than colleagues trained within their own country of citizenship. These feelings may develop during student life. International universities are diverse and complex environments where students may be emersed in a cultural milieu alien to their societies of origin, leading to feelings of isolation. Individuals with IP traits often perceive themselves as the “only one” experiencing this phenomenon, resulting in further isolation and negative self-evaluation, especially among women and underrepresented minorities. IP has also been linked to low self-esteem among students. This study assessed the prevalence of IP and its relationship to self-esteem among students at a campus of a European medical college with a large international student body situated in the Middle East. The self-administered questionnaires: Clance's Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were completed by 290 medical students (58.3% females). Participants' median (range) age was 19 years (16–35). Students were of 28 different nationalities; the largest proportions were from Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries. The prevalence of low self-esteem was 18.6%, while 45.2% of the students demonstrated traits suggestive of IP. There was a strongly negative correlation between CIPS and RSES (r = −0.71). No significant gender differences were found in IP. Similarly, no differences in IP were found when comparing between age groups, previous experience in higher education or year of study. Multivariate analysis showed that students from GCC countries had higher levels of self-esteem relative to students from other regions. Low self-esteem was a strong predictor of IP. Country of origin may influence students' self-esteem studying in international university settings.

医学院校中普遍存在的学术能力持续审视氛围，可能使部分学生产生“智力欺诈”与“名不副实”的感受。冒名顶替综合征（Impostor Phenomenon, IP）的特质已被证实与焦虑、抑郁、工作不满及专业表现不佳存在关联。在境外接受培训的初级医师，其冒名顶替综合征相关感受较本国受训同行更为强烈。这类感受可能在学生阶段便已萌生。国际高校环境多元且复杂，学生可能沉浸于与自身原生社会迥异的文化场域之中，进而产生孤立感。具备冒名顶替综合征特质的个体往往会认为自己是唯一经历该现象的人，这进一步加剧了孤立感与负面自我评判，在女性及代表性不足的少数群体中这一情况尤为突出。冒名顶替综合征还与学生的低自尊水平相关。本研究针对中东地区一所拥有大规模国际学生群体的欧洲医学院分校的学生，评估了冒名顶替综合征的患病率及其与自尊水平的关联。共有290名医学生（其中女性占比58.3%）完成了自填式问卷：克兰西冒名顶替综合征量表（Clance's Impostor Phenomenon Scale, CIPS）与罗森伯格自尊量表（Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, RSES）。参与者的年龄中位数（范围）为19岁（16~35岁）。参与研究的学生来自28个不同国家，其中占比最高的群体来自海湾阿拉伯国家合作委员会（Gulf Corporation Council, GCC）成员国。低自尊的患病率为18.6%，另有45.2%的学生表现出疑似冒名顶替综合征的特质。CIPS得分与RSES得分呈显著负相关（r = -0.71）。冒名顶替综合征的发生率未发现显著性别差异。类似地，不同年龄组、既往高等教育经历或就读学年的学生之间，冒名顶替综合征的发生率均无显著差异。多变量分析结果显示，相较于其他地区的学生，来自GCC成员国的学生自尊水平更高。低自尊是冒名顶替综合征的强预测因子。生源国可能会影响在国际高校就读的学生的自尊水平。