Influence of imposter phenomenon on emotion regulation strategies among young adults: A cross-sectional study
Nishka Akhtar, Sunita K. Damodar, Anu Anns Pious, Smita ChakrabortyAbstract
Background:
Imposter phenomenon (IP) significantly influences mental health, often leading to increased levels of stress and anxiety, along with behavioral repercussions, which are harmful to the self, thereby affecting performance and routine life. It refers to an internalized sense of intellectual deceit and persistent self-doubt, even with evidence of competence. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies play a protective role, allowing oneself to mindfully circumvent debilitating thoughts and rectify behavioural patterns.
Materials and Methods:
This research aimed to study the influence of the IP on emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) among young adults. The Clance IP Scale (Clance, 1985) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross and John, 2003) were employed. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, comprising two-way ANOVA and Independent Sample
Results:
A significant gender difference in IP was observed, with females reporting a higher prevalence than males. A statistically significant influence of IP on expressive suppression was indicated. Further, a statistically significant interaction effect of IP and gender on expressive suppression was found. There was no statistically significant influence of either IP or gender on cognitive reappraisal, which was inconsistent with the previous literature.
Conclusion:
The findings lead toward highlighting the need to create interventions and strategies that augment emotion expression, specifically among females, to give them a voice and to encourage cognitive appraisal of the delimiting thoughts that continue to engage individuals experiencing imposter characteristics with the maladaptive behavior.