Occurrence of Impostor Syndrome in Dentistry Faculty and Related Factors

To investigate the occurrence of Impostor Syndrome (IS) among faculty members of undergraduate dental courses at institutions in a capital city in the Northeast of Brazil.

A quantitative cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving five higher education institutions. Data collection was performed through a structured online questionnaire composed of two domains: sociodemographic data and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). Responses were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to identify differences and associations related to gender, type of institution and teaching experience (in years). A significance level of p ≤ 0.05 was adopted.

The study included 65 professors with a median age of 37 years (p²⁵ = 32; p⁷⁵ = 46), predominantly female (72.3%, n = 47), teaching in private institutions (73.8%, n = 48) and with a median year of teaching experience of 7 years (p²⁵ = 4; p⁷⁵ = 13). The median IS score was 42 (p²⁵ = 35; p⁷⁵ =54), indicating a moderate level. A difference in IS scores was observed between professors from public and private institutions (p = 0.049; r = 0.322; 95% CI: 0.085 to 0.525) and a negative correlation between IS and years of teaching experience as continuous variables (p = 0.006; r = -0.335; CI = -0.099 to -0.535), suggesting that IS tends to decrease with increased years of teaching experience.

Moderate levels of IS were observed among dental faculty members teaching undergraduate courses. The findings suggest that professors working in private institutions and those with fewer years of teaching experience may be more susceptible to IS.