Abstract
Background: Imposter syndrome (IS), suffering from self-doubt and fear, despite clear accomplishment and competencies, is often detected in medical students and adversely affects the well-being of the student. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of IS among public and private medical students in Bangladesh. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design among medical students in Bangladesh. Data were collected between February to July 2020 through snowball sampling technique across medical colleges in Bangladesh. Relative risk ratios (RRRs) with 95% CI were calculated to investigate the magnitude of association between imposter syndrome exposure and explanatory variables. Results: A total of 500 students participated in this study with approximately 47% and 53% of students studying at public and private medical colleges, respectively. Around 32% of medical students were exposed to IS (47% of public and 53% of private medical college students). Medical students were the most significantly associated with IS for third (RR: 1.487, CI: 1.068-2.071) and fourth-year students (RR: 1.493, CI: 1.043-2.136). Overall, we found that respondents aged 22 to 25 were 3.6% (RR:1.036, CI:0.801-1.339) more likely to be suffering from IS than their younger counterparts. Conclusion: Third and fourth-year medical students, in particular, require more care than others; teachers and authorities should provide them with proper guidance and care, encourage them, and thus grow their self-reliance and confidence.
Highlights
Imposter syndrome (IS) is characterized by a feeling of not belonging, out-of-placeness, and the belief that one’s perceived competence and success by others is undeserved
A more recent systemic review conducted in the U.S in 2020 found that the prevalence of IS ranged from 9% to 82% in the general population (Bravata et al, 2020), while another review conducted in the U.S in 2020 found that it ranged from 22% to 60% among physicians and from 33% to 40% among trainee physicians (Gottlieb et al, 2020)
The current study focused on evaluating the prevalence of IS, exploring the frequency distribution of IS in different institutions, and assessing the factors contributing to IS among public and private medical college students
Summary
Imposter syndrome (IS) is characterized by a feeling of not belonging, out-of-placeness, and the belief that one’s perceived competence and success by others is undeserved. This is considered an individual problem that should be addressed by keeping a record of accomplishments as a reminder of progress (Breeze, 2018; Mak et al, 2019; Hendriksen, 2015). In the United States, recent studies on IS have found that 57% of pharmacy students (Sullivan & Ryba, 2020) and 15% of medical students have IS (Holliday et al, 2020). This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of IS among public and private medical students in Bangladesh.
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