The Stress of Success: An Online Module to Help First‐Year D.M.D. Students Cope with the Impostor Phenomenon

Abstract

Professors often spend a great deal of time counseling poorly‐performing students, which limits the time dedicated to high achievers. This may be problematic, as psychiatrists have determined that successful students may be susceptible to feelings of inadequacy despite positive external evidence. Dr. Pauline Clance coined the term “Impostor Phenomenon (IP)” to describe these traits. It was desired to create an online module as an intervention to educate first‐year D.M.D. students about IP and provide six coping mechanisms. After viewing the video at the beginning of the semester, students completed the Clance IP Scale to determine the prevalence of IP thoughts. This was repeated at the end of the semester to determine the impact of the online training module. There was a decrease in post‐semester scores from 63.44 (SD 14.92) to 59.12 (SD 14.56, n=103, 86% response rate, paired‐samples t‐test, p < 0.001). The percentage of students reporting intense impostor experiences decreased from 13.6% to 4.9%. Females exhibited statistically significant higher scores than males on both the pre‐ and post‐semester IP surveys. However, there was no detected significant impact of age or race on results. The most common coping strategies reported by students were a reduction in time spent on non‐essential tasks and the use of scheduling to prevent procrastination. Ten students also reported seeking professional help through mental health services for their IP thoughts. These results suggest that an online training module can improve awareness of the Impostor Phenomenon and help high‐achieving students to cope with their stress and feelings of inadequacy.