Impostor Phenomenon and Cognitive Complaints in Anesthesiologists

Fusun Gozen176 enrolled

Overview

This prospective observational cross-sectional survey study aims to investigate the relationship between impostor phenomenon and cognitive complaints in anesthesiologists, and to evaluate the role of potential confounding factors such as sleep quality, workload, anxiety, depression, and burnout in this relationship.

Anesthesiologists are required to make rapid decisions demanding high situational awareness for patient safety and clinical risk management. The Impostor Phenomenon (IP), frequently encountered among healthcare professionals, is defined as perceiving oneself as inadequate despite proven achievements, with persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. While existing literature has detailed the association of IP with mood symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and burnout, its effect on cognitive complaints has not been sufficiently examined. This study will assess IP using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), cognitive complaints using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and sleep quality and workload using single-item subjective scales. Data will be collected anonymously via an online self-administered structured questionnaire from anesthesiologists actively working in clinical practice.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

176

Conditions

Impostor Phenomenon Cognitive Complaints Burnout, Professional

Interventions

Self-Administered QuestionnaireOTHER

A structured online self-administered questionnaire including the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and single-item scales for sleep quality and workload.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: Aged 18 years or older Actively working as an anesthesiologist (resident, specialist, or academic staff) Provided written informed consent Completed the survey in full Exclusion Criteria: Not actively working in clinical practice Refused to provide informed consent Submitted an incomplete survey

Locations (1)

Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Türkiye

Bursa, Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Relationship Between Impostor Phenomenon and Cognitive Complaints

Statistical association between the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) total score and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) total score among anesthesiologists.

Time frame: At the time of survey completion, up to 1 month

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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