Impostor phenomenon common among young professionals in SG

Impostor phenomenon (IP) appears to be prevalent among individuals aged 21‒29 years, according to a Singapore study involving employees in the National University Health System (NUHS).

“This could be because younger individuals who just entered workforce may feel uncomfortable with their newfound independence and responsibility,” the researchers said.

However, “[w]e found that there was no statistical significance between gender and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) profile types,” they added.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2021 and August 2021 among all permanently employed full-time NUHS employees aged 21 years and above. The research team sent mass emails with the embedded study link every 2‒3 weeks to the employees’ corporate email accounts.

Of the participants, 61 percent reported having IP experiences, while 97 percent reported feeling burnt out. IP showed a significant association with ethnicity and age group. However, post hoc tests revealed that this association was only statistically significant in the 21‒29 years age group. [Singapore Med J 2025;66:540-544]

“Workplace support, such as workshops, and emotional support were found to be useful in helping individuals cope with IP,” the researchers said.

Inconsistent findings

Previous studies reported no statistically significant differences between IP and ethnicity or race, but the present study found a significant link between ethnic group and IP. However, in post hoc tests, no significant between-group differences were seen, potentially due to the small sample size. [Intl J Med Students 2018;6:66-70; J Med Libr Assoc 2019;107:323-332]

On the other hand, the significant relationship between IP and the 21‒29 years age group was also found in other studies, which showed that younger research participants tended to have higher IP scores. [J Pers Assess 1995;65:468-485; Pers Individ Differ 1998;25:381-396]

“IP feelings may diminish as the young individuals gain more familiarity in their role and greater sense of ownership,” the researchers said. “More studies, particularly cohort study, could be done in this area to determine the association between age, role familiarity, and IP.”

Burnout

Earlier studies also showed a robust association between IP and burnout, but the current one showed only a moderate but significant relationship between IP and the MBI profile types. [J Gen Intern Med 2020;35:1252-1275; Perspect Psychol Sci 2020;15:519-543; Int J Med Educ 2016;7:364-369]

“This could be due to the small sample size in our study. The high burnout rate in our study (97 percent) could also be due to the study being conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is one of the busiest periods for healthcare workers,” the researchers said.

“Future research could be done when the pandemic ends and with a larger sample size to determine the true association between IP and MBI profile types,” they added.