Distribution of imposter syndrome (IS) among medical students of Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study
Description
Imposter syndrome (IS), suffering from self-doubt and fear, despite clear accomplishment and competencies, is often detected in medical students and adversely affects the student's well-being. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of IS among public and private This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving public and private medical colleges in Bangladesh in all years of study, from first through to fifth-year students. The snowball sampling technique was used to obtain the necessary data. Between February to July 2020, a survey collected demographic data and included Dr. Young's eight-question assessment for IS. Out of the 500 participants, 233 (46.6%) were public medical college students, and 267 (53.4%) were private. Among those, 161 (32.2%) had IS, while the remaining 339 (67.8%) did not have IS. Furthermore, 269 (53.8%) of the 500 respondents were male, while 231 (46.2%) were female. We found that respondents attending public medical colleges were 1.21 times more likely to have IS than private medical colleges. Overall, 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. Third- and fourth-year medical students, in particular, require more care than others; teachers and authorities should provide them with proper guidance and supervision, encourage them, and thus grow their self-reliance and confidence.