Objective:

To determine the factors associated with impostor syndrome in medical students from six regions of Peru.

Material and methods:

A multicentre, cross-sectional study was conduced on students from first to the sixth year in six Peruvian regions. Sociodemographic, academic, and psychological characteristics were included through the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale. Generalized linear models were performed using crude and adjusted estimated prevalence ratios.

Results:

Of 2,231 medical students, 54.3% were female and 30.6% had the impostor phenomenon. An association was found between the PI and those who suffered from depression (aPR=1.51; 95%CI, 1.27-1.79), anxiety (aPR = 2.25; 95%CI, 1.75-2.90), stress (aPR=1.37; 95%CI, 1.19-1.57), and being female (aPR = 1.12; 95%CI, 1.01-1.26).

Conclusions:

Three out of 10 medical students suffer from PI; having some level of depression, anxiety, stress, being a woman, and/or attending the fourth academic year were predisposing factors for their development.

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