Impostor phenomenon in university students: Contributions of demographic and personality variables

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2023.9.2.306

Keywords:

Impostor Phenomenon, Personality Traits, University Students, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This research aimed to investigate the influence of personality traits on the impostor phenomenon by controlling for demographic variables and to validate the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) in a Northeast Brazilian university sample. Method: We assessed 204 university students from a Higher Education Institution in Piauí (Mage = 22.88), predominantly female (57.3%) from Psychology (38.9%) and Pedagogy (15.7%) programs, using the Inventory of the Big Five Personality Factors (IBFP-20), the CIPS, and a Sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: The CIPS’s unifactorial structure was confirmed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and its reliability was secured (α = 0.92 and ω = 0.92). Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that alongside age, conscientiousness and neuroticism were significant traits predicting the impostor phenomenon, while gender did not prove to be a significant predictor. Conclusions: The findings validate the CIPS and emphasize the significance of personality traits, such as conscientiousness and neuroticism, in relation to the vulnerability or resilience to the impostor phenomenon, particularly in younger university students.

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References

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Published

2023-11-16

How to Cite

Nascimento da Silva, P. G., de Araújo, G. R., Lopes da Cunha, L. R., Bezerra de Medeiros, P. C., Martins Monteiro Silva, A. C., de Carvalho Sousa, M. C., Silva e Araújo, R., & de Medeiros, E. D. (2023). Impostor phenomenon in university students: Contributions of demographic and personality variables. Portuguese Journal of Behavioral and Social Research, 9(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.31211/rpics.2023.9.2.306

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