Imposter phenomenon and resilience in Lebanese university students: A cross-sectional study

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of participants (n = 630)

Demographic characteristic	Frequency
Age (years)	20.15 ± 1.85
< 18	2 (0.3)
18-19	255 (40.5)
20-22	328 (52.1)
23-25	35 (5.6)
26-30	8 (1.3)
31-35	2 (0.3)
Gender
Female	414 (65.7)
Male	216 (34.3)
Marital status
Single	616 (97.8)
Married	14 (2.2)
Nationality
Lebanese	588 (93.3)
Syrian	9 (1.4)
Palestinian	23 (3.7)
Others1	10 (1.6)
Governorate
Beirut	183 (29.0)
Mount Lebanon	198 (31.4)
Bekaa	64 (10.2)
Baalbak-Hermel	38 (6.0)
Akkar	4 (0.6)
Nabatieh	31 (4.9)
South Lebanon	82 (13.0)
North Lebanon	22 (3.5)
Keserwan-Jbeil	8 (1.3)
Living arrangement
Living with a family	508 (80.6)
Living in a dormitory	122 (19.4)
Current smoking status
Non-smoker	527 (83.7)
Smoker	103 (16.3)

¹Including United States of America, Colombia, France, Spain, Jordan, Egypt, and Canada.

Data are presented as mean ± SD or n (%).

Table 2 Educational characteristics of participants (n = 630)

Educational characteristic	Frequency
University
American University of Beirut	113 (17.9)
Lebanese American University	106 (16.8)
Beirut Arab University	134 (21.3)
Lebanese University	169 (26.8)
Universitié Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth	108 (17.1)
Do you major in a healthcare field?
Yes	300 (47.6)
No	330 (52.4)
Level of education in the academic year 2022-2023
Year 1, undergraduate	186 (29.5)
Year 2, undergraduate	211 (33.5)
Year 3, undergraduate	153 (24.3)
Year 4, undergraduate	34 (5.4)
Year 5, undergraduate	5 (8.0)
Year 6, undergraduate	5 (8.0)
Year 7, undergraduate	0 (0)
Master 1, graduate	23 (3.7)
Master 2, graduate	5 (8.0)
PhD, graduate	8 (1.3)
Do you work alongside your studies?
Yes	178 (28.3)
No	452 (71.7)

Data are presented as n (%).

Table 3 Personal experiences of the participants (n = 630)

Question	Frequency
Have you ever failed an academic year in university?
Yes	70 (11.1)
No	560 (88.9)
Have you ever transferred majors?
Yes	122 (19.4)
No	508 (80.6)
Have you ever taken a gap year?
Yes	85 (13.5)
No	545 (86.5)
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with academic tasks?
Yes	526 (83.5)
No	104 (16.5)
Do you feel satisfied with your major?
Yes	508 (80.6)
No	122 (19.4)
On average, how many hours do you study per day?
Less than 1 h	70 (11.1)
1-2 h	162 (25.7)
3-4 h	206 (32.7)
5-6 h	101 (16.0)
More than 6 h	91 (14.4)
How did your grades change from school to university?
Improved	221 (35.1)
Worsened	221 (35.1)
Did not change	188 (29.8)
Do you frequently attend training courses, practical sessions, or workshops?
Yes	290 (46.0)
No	340 (54.0)
Have you ever felt unsupported by your family members, peers, friends, and/or professors?
Yes	241 (38.3)
No	389 (61.7)
Does your family place a high value on your achievements and successes?
Yes	553 (87.8)
No	77 (12.2)
Have you been clinically diagnosed with a mental health condition?
Yes	156 (24.8)
No	474 (75.2)
Do you practice any of these coping strategies?
Meditation	28 (4.4)
Exercise	167 (26.5)
Hobbies	129 (20.5)
Talking to a counselor	22 (3.5)
Smoking	37 (5.9)
Alcohol	4 (6.0)
Other	71 (11.3)
I do not practice any coping strategies	172 (27.3)

Data are presented as n (%).

Table 4 Young Imposter Scale items (n = 630)

Item	Yes	No
Do you secretly worry that others will find out that you’re not as bright and capable as they think you are?	361 (57.3)	269 (42.7)
Do you sometimes shy away from challenges because of a nagging self-doubt?	361 (57.3)	269 (42.7)
Do you tend to chalk your accomplishments up to being a “fluke,” “no big deal,” or the fact that people just “like” you?	291 (46.2)	339 (53.8)
Do you hate making a mistake, being less than fully prepared, or not doing things perfectly?	522 (82.9)	108 (17.1)
Do you tend to feel crushed even by constructive criticism, seeing it as evidence of your “ineptness?”	281 (44.6)	349 (55.4)
When you do succeed, do you think “Phew, I fooled them this time, but I may not be so lucky next time?”	201 (31.9)	429 (68.1)
Do you believe that other people (students, colleagues, competitors) are smarter and more capable than you?	319 (50.6)	311 (49.4)
Do you live in fear of being found out, discovered, or unmasked?	191 (30.3)	439 (69.7)

Data are presented as n (%).

Table 5 Correlation between imposter phenomenon and other characteristics (n = 630)

Characteristic	Imposter phenomenon		P value
	Yes	No
Age (years)
< 18		2 (100)	0.648
18-19	112 (43.9)	143 (56.1)
20-22	139 (42.4)	189 (57.6)
23-25	14 (40.0)	21 (60.0)
26-30	3 (37.5)	5 (62.5)
31-35		2 (100)
Gender
Female	196 (47.3)	218 (52.7)	< 0.001b
Male	72 (33.3)	144 (66.7)
Marital status
Single	266 (43.1)	350 (56.8)	0.031a
Married	2 (14.3)	12 (85.7)
Nationality
Lebanese	248 (42.2)	340 (57.8)	0.827
Syrian	5 (55.6)	4 (44.4)
Palestinian	10 (43.5)	13 (56.5)
Others1	5 (50.0)	5 (50.0)
Governorate
Beirut	88 (48.1)	95 (51.9)	< 0.001b
Mount Lebanon	75 (37.9)	123 (62.1)
Bekaa	24 (37.5)	40 (62.5)
Baalbak-Hermel	7 (18.4)	31 (81.6)
Akkar		4 (100)
Nabatieh	13 (42.0)	18 (58.0)
South Lebanon	46 (56.1)	36 (43.9)
North Lebanon	9 (40.9)	13 (59.1)
Keserwan-Jbeil	6 (75.0)	2 (25.0)
Living arrangement
Living with a family	207 (40.7)	301 (59.3)	0.063
Living in a dormitory	61 (50.0)	61 (50.0)
Current smoking status
Non-smoker	227 (43.1)	300 (56.9)	0.539
Smoker	41 (39.8)	62 (60.2)
University
American University of Beirut	55 (48.7)	58 (51.3)	0.106
Lebanese American University	49 (46.2)	57 (53.8)
Beirut Arab University	63 (47.0)	71 (53.0)
Lebanese University	62 (36.7)	107 (63.3)
Universitié Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth	39 (36.1)	69 (63.9)
Do you major in a healthcare field?
Yes	129 (43.0)	171 (57.0)	0.824
No	129 (40.3)	191 (59.7)
Level of education in the academic year 2022-2023
Year 1, undergraduate	82 (44.1)	104 (55.9)	0.633
Year 2, undergraduate	91 (43.1)	120 (56.9)
Year 3, undergraduate	60 (39.2)	93 (60.8)
Year 4, undergraduate	16 (47.1)	18 (52.9)
Year 5, undergraduate	4 (80.0)	1 (20.0)
Year 6, undergraduate	2 (40.0)	3 (60.0)
Year 7, undergraduate	0 (0)	0 (0)
Master 1, graduate	10 (43.5)	13 (56.5)
Master 2, graduate	1 (20.0)	4 (80.0)
PhD, graduate	2 (25.0)	6 (75.0)
Do you work alongside your studies?
Yes	64 (36.0)	114 (64.0)	0.036a
No	204 (45.1)	248 (54.9)
Have you ever failed an academic year in university?
Yes	32 (45.7)	38 (54.3)	0.569
No	236 (42.1)	324 (57.9)
Have you ever transferred majors?
Yes	50 (41.0)	72 (59.0)	0.699
No	218 (42.9)	290 (57.1)
Have you ever taken a gap year?
Yes	38 (44.7)	47 (55.3)	0.664
No	230 (42.2)	315 (57.8)
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with academic tasks?
Yes	251 (47.7)	275 (52.3)	< 0.001b
No	17 (16.3)	87 (83.7)
Do you feel satisfied with your major?
Yes	205 (40.4)	303 (59.6)	0.024a
No	63 (51.6)	59 (48.4)
On average, how many hours do you study per day?
Less than 1 h	27 (38.6)	43 (61.4)	0.916
1-2 h	68 (42.0)	94 (58.0)
3-4 h	88 (42.7)	118 (57.3)
5-6 h	43 (42.6)	58 (57.4)
More than 6 h	42 (46.2)	49 (53.8)
How did your grades change from school to university?
Improved	79 (35.7)	142 (64.3)	< 0.001b
Worsened	119 (53.8)	102 (46.2)
Didn’t change	70 (37.2)	118 (62.8)
Do you frequently attend training courses, practical sessions, or workshops?
Yes	118 (40.7)	172 (59.3)	0.386
No	150 (44.1)	190 (55.9)
Have you ever felt unsupported by your family members, peers, friends, and/or professors?
Yes	145 (60.2)	96 (39.8)	< 0.001b
No	123 (31.6)	266 (68.4)
Does your family place a high value on your achievements and successes?
Yes	234 (42.3)	319 (57.7)	0.759
No	34 (44.2)	43 (55.8)
Have you been clinically diagnosed with a mental health condition?
Yes	80 (51.3)	76 (48.7)	0.011a
No	188 (39.7)	286 (60.3)
Do you practice any of these coping strategies?
Meditation	14 (50.0)	14 (50.0)	< 0.001b
Exercise	61 (36.5)	106 (63.5)
Hobbies	49 (38.0)	80 (62.0)
Talking to a counselor	19 (86.4)	3 (13.6)
Other	35 (49.3)	36 (50.7)
I do not practice any coping strategies	76 (44.2)	96 (55.8)
Smoking	14 (37.8)	23 (62.2)
Alcohol		4 (100)

¹Including United States of America, Colombia, France, Spain, Jordan, Egypt, Canada. Other characteristics include sociodemographic characteristics and personal experiences of the participant.

^aP < 0.05.

^bP < 0.001.

Table 6 10 item-Connor Davidson Resilience Scale items

Item	Not true at all	Rarely true	Sometimes true	Often true	True nearly all the time
I am able to adapt when changes occur	17 (2.7)	49 (7.8)	212 (33.7)	218 (34.6)	134 (21.3)
I can deal with whatever comes my way	18 (2.9)	46 (7.3)	208 (33.0)	235 (37.3)	123 (19.5)
I try to see the humorous side of things when I am faced with problems	47 (7.5)	101 (16.0)	206 (32.7)	168 (26.7)	108 (17.1)
Having to cope with stress can make me stronger	52 (8.3)	84 (13.3)	192 (30.5)	187 (29.7)	115 (18.3)
I tend to bounce back after illness, injury, or other hardships	27 (4.3)	68 (10.8)	200 (31.7)	208 (33.0)	127 (20.2)
I believe I can achieve my goals even if there are obstacles	12 (1.9)	24 (3.8)	129 (20.5)	219 (34.8)	246 (39.0)
Under pressure I stay focused and think clearly	50 (7.9)	81 (12.9)	192 (30.5)	205 (32.5)	102 (16.2)
I am not easily discouraged by failure	36 (5.7)	131 (20.8)	178 (28.3)	175 (27.8)	110 (17.5)
I think of myself as a strong person when dealing with life’s challenges and difficulties	18 (2.9)	56 (8.9)	157 (24.9)	201 (31.9)	198 (31.4)
I am able to handle unpleasant or painful feelings like sadness, fear, and anger	38 (6.0)	71 (11.3)	195 (31.0)	179 (28.4)	147 (23.3)

Data are presented as n (%).

Table 7 10 item-Connor Davidson Resilience Scale means

Item	Mean items/4 ± SD	Mean scale/40 ± SD
I am able to adapt when changes occur	2.64 ± 0.987	25.51 ± 6.79
I can deal with whatever comes my way	2.63 ± 0.970
I try to see the humorous side of things when I am faced with problems	2.30 ± 1.150
Having to cope with stress can make me stronger	2.36 ± 1.166
I tend to bounce back after illness, injury, or other hardships	2.54 ± 1.061
I believe I can achieve my goals even if there are obstacles	3.05 ± 0.958
Under pressure I stay focused and think clearly	2.36 ± 1.136
I am not easily discouraged by failure	2.30 ± 1.150
I think of myself as a strong person when dealing with life's challenges and difficulties	2.80 ± 1.067
I am able to handle unpleasant or painful feelings like sadness, fear, and anger	2.52 ± 1.143

SD: Standard deviation.

Table 8 Correlation between resilience and other characteristics (n = 630)

Characteristic	Resilience mean/40	P value
Age (years)
< 18	22.00	0.63
18-19	25.25
20-22	25.88
23-25	24.10
26-30	26.00
31-35	25.50
Gender
Female	24.81	< 0.001c
Male	26.86
Marital status
Single	25.57	0.310
Married	23.14
Nationality
Lebanese	25.53	0.486
Syrian	22.67
Palestinian	25.48
Others1	27.10
Governorate
Beirut	24.88	0.404
Mount Lebanon	26.25
Bekaa	25.94
Baalbak-Hermel	25.08
Akkar	28.75
Nabatieh	25.39
South Lebanon	24.50
North Lebanon	27.27
Keserwan-Jbeil	24.88
Living arrangement
Living with a family	25.53	0.838
Living in a dormitory	25.46
Current smoking status
Non-smoker	25.49	0.699
Smoker	25.66
University
American University of Beirut	25.79	0.931
Lebanese American University	25.75
Beirut Arab University	25.34
Lebanese University	25.50
Universitié Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth	25.22
Do you major in a healthcare field?
Yes	25.45	0.748
No	25.57
Level of education in the academic year 2022-2023
Year 1, undergraduate	25.03	0.21
Year 2, undergraduate	25.49
Year 3, undergraduate	26.14
Year 4, undergraduate	25.65
Year 5, undergraduate	20.60
Year 6, undergraduate	31.00
Year 7, undergraduate	0
Master 1, graduate	24.96
Master 2, graduate	29.00
PhD, graduate	24.13
Do you work alongside your studies?
Yes	26.51	0.01a
No	25.12
Have you ever failed an academic year in university?
Yes	22.71	< 0.001c
No	25.86
Have you ever transferred majors?
Yes	24.32	0.110
No	25.8
Have you ever taken a gap year?
Yes	23.75	0.034a
No	25.79
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with academic tasks?
Yes	25.21	0.02a
No	27.08
Do you feel satisfied with your major?
Yes	26.10	< 0.001c
No	23.07
On average, how many hours do you study per day?
Less than 1 h	25.50	0.419
1-2 h	25.79
3-4 h	24.84
5-6 h	25.64
More than 6 h	26.41
How did your grades change from school to university?
Improved	26.89	< 0.001c
Worsened	23.82
Did not change	25.88
Do you frequently attend training courses, practical sessions, or workshops?
Yes	26.14	0.022a
No	24.98
Have you ever felt unsupported by your family members, peers, friends, and/or professors?
Yes	23.21	< 0.001c
No	26.94
Does your family place a high value on your achievements and successes?
Yes	25.56	0.629
No	25.16
Have you been clinically diagnosed with a mental health condition?
Yes	23.04	< 0.001c
No	26.33
Do you practice any of these coping strategies?
Meditation	27.32	0.002b
Exercise	26.33
Hobbies	26.64
Talking to a counselor	23.05
Other	24.14
I don’t practice any coping strategies	24.35
Smoking	26.62
Alcohol	20.50

¹Including United States of America, Colombia, France, Spain, Jordan, Egypt, Canada. Other characteristics include sociodemographic characteristics and personal experiences of the participant.

^aP < 0.05.

^bP < 0.01.

^cP < 0.001.

Table 9 Correlation between imposter phenomenon and resilience (n = 630)

	Resilience mean/40	P value
Imposter phenomenon
Yes	22.27	< 0.001a
No	27.92

^aP < 0.001.