Associations between stress, perfectionism, and imposter phenomenon among dental hygiene students.

Purpose/objective: Imposter phenomenon (IP) depicts the feeling of being a fraud. Stress and perfection are associated with IP, impairing professional and academic performance and negatively impacting mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of IP and perfectionism in dental hygiene students and the relationship with stress.

Methods: This study used cross-sectional survey research with a nonprobability sampling of dental hygiene students (n = 258). The study used three validated instruments: the Imposter Profile (IPP30) with six subscales, the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale Brief with two subscales, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS10). Descriptive, correlation, and linear regression were used for analysis.

Results: The completion rate was 74.8% (n = 193). Linear regression analysis found the competence doubt (CD) subscale of the Imposter-Profile and perfectionistic striving (PS) were the only statistically significant predictors of stress (F = 10.01, p < .001, R = .16). CD (b = 0.36, p < 0.001) was twice as strong as PS (b = 0.15, p < 0.05) in predicting stress in dental hygiene students.

Conclusion: In this sample of dental hygiene students, the doubt about competence aspect of imposter phenomenon increased stress more than the striving for perfectionism. Faculty may minimize stress and support students by identifying the feelings associated with imposter phenomenon and highlighting student achievements to build confidence and feelings of self-efficacy.