Imposter SyndromeNCT05732792
Survey Evaluating the Prevalence and the Severity of Feelings of Self-doubt in European Anesthesiologists
An observational study of Imposter Syndrome and Anesthesia, run by Université Libre de Bruxelles at 1 site in Belgium.
Trial summary
Impostor syndrome is a form of erroneous self-assessment that is defined as the inability to believe that one's success is earnt and that positive outcomes are the result of one's skills. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Imposter Syndrome, Anesthesia
- What is being tested?
- CIPS Survey
- How many people
- 700 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBelgium
- Study dates
- 11 Feb 2023to 14 May 2023
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: The survey is endorsed by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and will be distributed from February 2023 onwards to its members for a period of 3 months.
Who may be able to join
- Anesthesiologists
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Impostor syndrome is a form of erroneous self-assessment that is defined as the inability to believe that one's success is earnt and that positive outcomes are the result of one's skills.
The syndrome has been described and studied in an array of different populations including the healthcare setting and academic faculty members working in a competitive environment. A scoping review of the imposter syndrome in physicians and physicians in training concluded that low self-esteem, gender, and institutional culture are linked to high rates of imposter syndrome. The fact that this syndrome has been linked to higher rates of burnout is more worrisome. Moreover, this specific syndrome might prevent physicians from acting in certain situations.
Read more
Even though Impostor syndrome has been described in doctors across a wide range of specialties, it has yet to be specifically investigated within anesthesiology. We hypothesize that imposter syndrome prevalence will be high in this population due to core attributes of the profession itself.
With this study, the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome in the European anesthesia profession will be investigated by using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) scale, which will be completed by anesthesiologists and anesthesiology residents members of the European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
In parallel, key demographics that are linked to increased severity of the imposter syndrome will also be investigated.
Read the detailed description
Imposter syndrome is a difficult to grasp concept. Clance and Imes have been the first to label "the inability to internalize success and the tendency to attribute success to external causes such as luck, error or knowing the appropriate individuals" as 'imposter syndrome'. This concept stemmed from the qualitative observation of high achieving women in 1978. Imposter syndrome might be triggered by anxiety, perfectionism, and self-doubt.
Since then, the syndrome has been better described and studied in an array of different populations including academic faculty members in a competitive environment and the healthcare setting. A scoping review of the imposter syndrome in physicians and physicians in training concluded that low self-esteem, gender, and institutional culture are linked to high rates of imposter syndrome. A recent survey study from Villock et al. explored the rate of imposter syndrome and burnout among American medical students and recognized that about half of the female students and a quarter of the male students experience imposter syndrome. Studies in surgery residents, with a response rate of 47%, found that more than three quarter were either significantly or severely affected by the imposter syndrome. Surgery residents are more prone to imposter syndrome than trained ones. More worrisome is the link to burnout.
Most of the studies mentioned used the Clance imposter phenomenon scale (CIPS) to explore the prevalence of imposter syndrome in the population of choice. The CIPS have been validated and used since 1995.
No study has yet explored imposter syndrome among anesthesiologists, though imposter syndrome prevalence might be high in this population due to core attributes of the profession itself. These attributes are likely to depend on the environment in which anesthesiologists evolve. However, performance in clinical work and skills, great interpersonal qualities such as communication skills and good relationship with patients and colleagues are required to excel in our profession. Some of these personal skills have yet to be taught to anesthesiology residents, endorsing imposter syndrome symptoms.
The prevalence and severity of the imposter syndrome in the European anesthesia profession will be studied by using the CIPS scale in anesthesiologists and anesthesiology residents. In parallel, key demographics that are linked to increased severity of the imposter syndrome will be investigated.
Aims The primary aim of this study is to define the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome among anesthesiologists, which has never been evaluated on a large scale.
The secondary aim of the present study is to identify risk factors associated with imposter syndrome (Gender, age, level of experience, working country, ethnicity, academic work, main activity).
- Conditions
- Imposter Syndrome, Anesthesia
- Being tested
- CIPS Survey
- Medical subject headings
- imposter syndrome
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
CIPS SurveyOther
The survey is endorsed by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and will be distributed from February 2023 onwards to its members for a period of 3 months.
Each anesthesiologist's participation to the survey will be voluntary and anonymous individual consent will be implied by the person's willingness to complete the survey.
The survey will also mention this.
All surveys will be administered via SurveyMonkey. Surveymonkey allows to build "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act" (HIPAA) compliant surveys that follow strict rules around the protection of health information.
Of note, Surveymonkey is also GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant.
Data gathered from the questionnaires will be safely stored on the surveymonkey database. The access to the result database is held by a password that only the authors can use to analyze the data yielded at the end of the survey period.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Anesth-CIPS | The survey is endorsed by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and will be distributed from February 2023 onwards to its members for a period of 6 months. Receives: Other: CIPS Survey |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
CIPS
The primary aim of this study is to define the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome among anesthesiologists, which has never been evaluated on a large scale. This will be done through CIPS (Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale) score.
(CIPS is a previously validated survey consisting of 20 questions on a 5-point Likert scale that investigate feelings about self-assessment of competency, praise, and success. Levels of severity of imposter syndrome have been described previously. Briefly, if the total score is 40 or less, the respondent has few Impostor characteristics; if the score is between 41 and 60, the respondent has moderate IP experiences; a score between 61 and 80 means the respondent frequently has Impostor feelings; a score higher than 80 means the respondent often has intense IP experiences. The higher the score, the more frequently and seriously the Impostor Phenomenon interferes in a person's life.
Measured: 3 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Risk factors IP-anesthesia
The secondary aim of the present study is to identify risk factors associated with imposter syndrome (Gender, age, level of experience, working country, ethnicity, academic work, main activity).
Measured: 3 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Feb 2023
- Study start11 Feb 2023
- Primary completion11 May 2023
- Study completion14 May 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Imposter SyndromeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 700 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Université Libre de Bruxelles
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Sarah Saxena, Université Libre de Bruxelles
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05732792
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AnesthesiaCIPS
- Status last verified
- Jul 2023
- First submitted
- 8 Feb 2023
- Last updated
- 21 Jul 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 21 Jul 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Survey Evaluating the Prevalence and the Severity of Feelings of Self-doubt in European Anesthesiologists
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05732792
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AnesthesiaCIPS
- Conditions
- Imposter Syndrome, Anesthesia
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 700 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Université Libre de BruxellesUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 11 Feb 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 11 May 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 14 May 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 17 Feb 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Impostor syndrome is a form of erroneous self-assessment that is defined as the inability to believe that one's success is earnt and that positive outcomes are the result of one's skills.
The syndrome has been described and studied in an array of different populations including the healthcare setting and academic faculty members working in a competitive environment. A scoping review of the imposter syndrome in physicians and physicians in training concluded that low self-esteem, gender, and institutional culture are linked to high rates of imposter syndrome. The fact that this syndrome has been linked to higher rates of burnout is more worrisome. Moreover, this specific syndrome might prevent physicians from acting in certain situations.
Even though Impostor syndrome has been described in doctors across a wide range of specialties, it has yet to be specifically investigated within anesthesiology. We hypothesize that imposter syndrome prevalence will be high in this population due to core attributes of the profession itself.
With this study, the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome in the European anesthesia profession will be investigated by using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) scale, which will be completed by anesthesiologists and anesthesiology residents members of the European Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care.
In parallel, key demographics that are linked to increased severity of the imposter syndrome will also be investigated.
Detailed description
Imposter syndrome is a difficult to grasp concept. Clance and Imes have been the first to label "the inability to internalize success and the tendency to attribute success to external causes such as luck, error or knowing the appropriate individuals" as 'imposter syndrome'. This concept stemmed from the qualitative observation of high achieving women in 1978. Imposter syndrome might be triggered by anxiety, perfectionism, and self-doubt.
Since then, the syndrome has been better described and studied in an array of different populations including academic faculty members in a competitive environment and the healthcare setting. A scoping review of the imposter syndrome in physicians and physicians in training concluded that low self-esteem, gender, and institutional culture are linked to high rates of imposter syndrome. A recent survey study from Villock et al. explored the rate of imposter syndrome and burnout among American medical students and recognized that about half of the female students and a quarter of the male students experience imposter syndrome. Studies in surgery residents, with a response rate of 47%, found that more than three quarter were either significantly or severely affected by the imposter syndrome. Surgery residents are more prone to imposter syndrome than trained ones. More worrisome is the link to burnout.
Most of the studies mentioned used the Clance imposter phenomenon scale (CIPS) to explore the prevalence of imposter syndrome in the population of choice. The CIPS have been validated and used since 1995.
No study has yet explored imposter syndrome among anesthesiologists, though imposter syndrome prevalence might be high in this population due to core attributes of the profession itself. These attributes are likely to depend on the environment in which anesthesiologists evolve. However, performance in clinical work and skills, great interpersonal qualities such as communication skills and good relationship with patients and colleagues are required to excel in our profession. Some of these personal skills have yet to be taught to anesthesiology residents, endorsing imposter syndrome symptoms.
The prevalence and severity of the imposter syndrome in the European anesthesia profession will be studied by using the CIPS scale in anesthesiologists and anesthesiology residents. In parallel, key demographics that are linked to increased severity of the imposter syndrome will be investigated.
Aims The primary aim of this study is to define the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome among anesthesiologists, which has never been evaluated on a large scale.
The secondary aim of the present study is to identify risk factors associated with imposter syndrome (Gender, age, level of experience, working country, ethnicity, academic work, main activity).
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Anesth-CIPS | – | Other: CIPS SurveyThe survey is endorsed by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and will be distributed from February 2023 onwards to its members for a period of 6 months. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The survey is endorsed by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and will be distributed from February 2023 onwards to its members for a period of 3 months.
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Anesthesiologists
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| CIPS SurveyThe survey is endorsed by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC) and will be distributed from February 2023 onwards to its members for a period of 3 months. Each anesthesiologist's participation to the survey will be voluntary and anonymous individual consent will be implied by the person's willingness to complete the survey. The survey will also mention this. All surveys will be administered via SurveyMonkey. Surveymonkey allows to build "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act" (HIPAA) compliant surveys that follow strict rules around the protection of health information. Of note, Surveymonkey is also GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant. Data gathered from the questionnaires will be safely stored on the surveymonkey database. The access to the result database is held by a password that only the authors can use to analyze the data yielded at the end of the survey period. | Other | Anesth-CIPS |
Primary outcome
CIPS
Time frame: 3 months
The primary aim of this study is to define the prevalence and severity of imposter syndrome among anesthesiologists, which has never been evaluated on a large scale. This will be done through CIPS (Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale) score. (CIPS is a previously validated survey consisting of 20 questions on a 5-point Likert scale that investigate feelings about self-assessment of competency, praise, and success. Levels of severity of imposter syndrome have been described previously. Briefly, if the total score is 40 or less, the respondent has few Impostor characteristics; if the score is between 41 and 60, the respondent has moderate IP experiences; a score between 61 and 80 means the respondent frequently has Impostor feelings; a score higher than 80 means the respondent often has intense IP experiences. The higher the score, the more frequently and seriously the Impostor Phenomenon interferes in a person's life.
1 secondary outcome
Risk factors IP-anesthesia
Time frame: 3 months
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 21 Jul 2023.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Imposter Syndrome and Anesthesia, run by Université Libre de Bruxelles at 1 site in Belgium.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Jul 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
CIPS (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Jul 2023.