This cross-sectional study evaluated the psychiatric correlates of the impostor phenomenon among Indonesian sports science undergraduates, focusing specifically on the relative contributions of self-esteem and anxiety alongside related psychological, behavioral, and structural factors. A total of 438 junior-year undergraduates at a public university in Makassar, Indonesia, completed a cross-sectional survey. Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and impostor phenomenon severity was evaluated using the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). Behavioral factors (nightly sleep duration and daily social media use) and structural factors (sex, grade point average [GPA], scholarship status, residential arrangement, and organizational participation) were also captured and analyzed using Spearman correlations, group comparisons, and simultaneous as well as hierarchical multiple linear regressions.
NOTE: This study was retrospectively registered. The study was conducted from June 2025 to August 2025 following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines and received ethical clearance (PROTOKOL-UH25010017) from the Institutional Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of Hasanuddin University prior to study initiation. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. No outcome measures, study design, or statistical analysis plan were modified following data collection.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Junior-year sports science undergraduates (semesters 3-4) at a public university in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, recruited from June to August 2025 (n = 438 analyzed out of 469 invited; response rate 93.4%). Participants completed a single-session, self-administered survey battery assessing psychological constructs-the CIPS, RSES, and GAD-7-alongside continuous behavioral measures (nightly sleep duration and daily social media usage) and self-reported demographic/structural covariates (GPA, sex, age, scholarship recipiency, residential status, and organizational participation). No intervention was administered. This cross-sectional study evaluated the psychiatric correlates of the impostor phenomenon among Indonesian sports science undergraduates, focusing specifically on the relative contributions of self-esteem and anxiety alongside related psychological, behavioral, and structural factors.
Makassar, South Sulawesi 90245, Indonesia
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