The impostor phenomenon in British university students: Relationships between self-esteem, mental health, parental rearing style and socioeconomic status
C. Sonnak et T. Towell, The impostor phenomenon in British university students: Relationships between self-esteem, mental health, parental rearing style and socioeconomic status, PERS INDIV, 31(6), 2001, pp. 863-874
The role of perceived parental rearing style, parental background, self-est
eem, mental health and demographic variables upon impostor phenomenon JP; P
sychotherapy: Theory Research and Practice, 15, (1978) 241-247] intensity w
as investigated using a cross-sectional survey design, with 107 subjects (7
8 females, 29 males). A regression analysis revealed that both greater degr
ee of perceived parental control and lower levels of self-esteem emerged as
significant predictors of impostor fears, together accounting for 50% of t
he variation in impostor scores. Parental care score, parental educational
and occupational level and subject's mental health and demographic informat
ion did not show a significant relationship to impostor scores. A post-hoc
regression analysis indicated, however, that in addition to parental protec
tion, lower care and poorer mental health was significantly related to incr
easing levels of impostor scores and with subjects having attended private
school reporting lower levels of impostor feelings. In addition, subjects c
lassified as impostors were found to report significantly higher GHQ scores
(poorer mental health) than non-impostors. These findings, which are inter
preted in terms of parenting styles, indicate that the role of parental ove
rprotection may be especially implicated in impostor fears. (C) 2001 Elsevi
er Science Ltd. All rights reserved.