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Research on the impostor phenomenon (IP) is rapidly growing in medical education due to its relationship with distress and burnout. How IP is theoretically conceptualized and analyzed has been inconsistent, however, which limits our understanding of results and how to act on them. We hypothesized that a person-centered analysis, in combination with a robust theoretical framework, would provide a more specific 'profile' of medical student IP and help to optimize supports for their well-being. We used exploratory factor analysis to assess the factor structure of the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) in medical students, followed by cluster analysis to identify distinct 'impostor' profiles, based on the identified factors. We then used self-determination theory's (SDT) framework of motivation to explore how students in each profile differed in their general causality orientation, autonomous motivation towards going to medical school, and psychological need satisfaction in the medical program – factors that SDT identifies as predictors of engagement, performance, and well-being. Factor analysis yielded three main IP factors – feeling like a fake, attributing success to luck, and discounting achievement – in line with Clance's original definition of IP. The cluster analysis then identified four distinct IP profiles based on individual differences in these factors, each varying in aspects of their self-determination. This study sheds light on the ways that medical students may experience IP, further reinforcing the notion that not all 'impostors' are created equal. Findings support the three-factor structure of the CIPS among medical students, and that most students will fall into one of four IP profiles. These profiles and their implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has found that helping others facilitates well-being for Indigenous peoples living with HIV and AIDS, but limited research exists that investigates the mechanism(s) underlying this relationship. Indigenous perspectives posit that helping others facilitates well-being through the development of an individual's spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental aspects (four aspects). Similarly, self-determination theory posits that helping others facilitates well-being by satisfying basic psychological needs. In the present study, we examined if helping others facilitates well-being through the fulfillment of the spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental aspects among Indigenous peoples living with HIV and AIDS. We used a convergent parallel mixed methods design, coupled with a community-engaged approach grounded in the United Nations Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV and AIDS principles and Indigenous and decolonizing research methodologies. Survey (n = 117) and interview data (n = 9) collected by an Indigenous-led HIV/AIDS organization in Canada were employed to examine the relationship between helping, the four aspects, and well-being. Participants were primarily First Nations leaders and mentors who live with HIV/AIDS, with some Métis and Inuit. A parallel multiple mediation model and reflexive thematic analysis were used to analyze the relationship between helping, the four aspects, and well-being. Mixed-methods findings support the idea that helping others promotes well-being by fulfilling the emotional and mental aspects. Qualitative findings demonstrated this relationship for all four aspects. This research may facilitate the development of programs to support Indigenous peoples living with HIV/AIDS well-being and contribute to the literature on integrating Indigenous perspectives and methodologies within psychological research., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Theory: Impostor phenomenon (IP) refers to people's feelings of intellectual fraudulence and fear of being "discovered," despite contradicting evidence of success. Due to its association with burnout and distress, it is progressively being studied in medicine. While various explanations for IP have been discussed in the literature, the role of motivation has largely been neglected. Hypotheses: Using self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens, it was hypothesized that different general causality orientations (impersonal, control, autonomy), domain-specific types of motivation (autonomous vs. controlled) toward going to medical school, and levels of satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in the medical program, would each predict severity of IP symptoms. Method: A total of 1,450 medical students from three Canadian institutions were invited to complete a survey containing the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale and scales derived from SDT's mini theories: basic psychological needs theory, causality orientations theory, and organismic integration theory. We explored the prevalence of IP among the students and used regression to capture variable relationships, accounting for gender effects. Results: Data from 277 (19.1%) students were assessed, 73% of whom reported moderate or worse IP symptoms. Having an impersonal general causality orientation, more controlled motivation toward going to medical school, and lower need satisfaction in the medical program, each related to increased IP severity. Together, these motivational factors accounted for 30.3%, 13.6%, and 21.8% of the variance in students' IP severity, respectively. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that students who are more self-determined (both in general and in medical school), and whose basic psychological needs are more supported in their medical program, will experience less frequent and severe IP symptoms. Preliminary explanations and implications of these findings are discussed within the medical education context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory: Medical programs have turned to mindfulness-based initiatives to help reduce student distress and promote healthy coping within the learning environment. However, little attention has been paid to how fulfillment of medical students' basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) impacts their capacity to be mindful and cope with stress. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) posits that mindfulness facilitates adaptive coping and wellness, in large part because of need fulfillment. Hypotheses: Using SDT as a lens, it is hypothesized that medical students' resilience and, to a greater extent, need fulfillment in medical school, will mediate the relationship between their mindfulness and coping reactions to stress. Method: One-hundred-ninety-seven medical students from the University of Saskatchewan were recruited to participate in this study: 71 first year, 58 second year, and 36 third and fourth year, each. Students completed an anonymous survey, measuring need fulfillment in medical school, mindfulness, resilience, and frequent use of various adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. We assessed the extent that need fulfillment and resilience mediated the relationship between mindfulness and coping styles. Results: Need satisfaction and resilience fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness and adaptive coping. Conversely, need frustration and resilience partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and maladaptive coping. Need fulfillment was a stronger mediator than resilience in both coping models. Conclusions: Findings suggest that increased supports for medical students' resilience and basic psychological needs may promote their mindfulness, and in turn, their ability to respond more adaptively and less maladaptively to stressors they face in medical school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]