Academic entitlement and student well-being: The mediating role of the impostor phenomenon

Despite growing evidence linking academic entitlement to diminished student outcomes, the psychological mechanisms through which entitled academic expectations erode student well-being remain insufficiently understood. The present study examines the mediating role of the impostor phenomenon in the relationship between academic entitlement and well-being among university students. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with a sample of 864 undergraduate students recruited from Al-Azhar University and Kafr El-Sheikh University in Egypt. Participants completed the Academic Entitlement Scale (AES-28), the Short Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS-10), and the BBC Well-Being Scale (BBC-WBS). Mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro with bootstrapping based on 5,000 resamples. Results revealed that academic entitlement significantly and positively predicted the impostor phenomenon, which in turn significantly and negatively predicted student well-being. The impostor phenomenon partially mediated the relationship between academic entitlement and well-being, accounting for approximately 23% of the total effect. These findings suggest that entitlement-driven expectations are associated with lower overall well-being (composite score), both directly and indirectly by fostering fraudulence-related self-doubt. Mediation was not tested separately for psychological, physical, and relational well-being. Universities, particularly in comparable Egyptian and collectivist contexts, may consider addressing both entitled academic attitudes and impostor-related cognitions through counseling interventions and pedagogical strategies.