Correlates of Impostor Phenomenon Among Indonesian Sports Science Students

This cross-sectional study examined the associations between self-esteem, anxiety, and impostor phenomenon among sports science undergraduates in Indonesia, evaluating the independent contributions of psychological, behavioural, and structural correlates. 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). Behavioural 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. Lower self-esteem (ρ = -0.512) and higher anxiety (ρ = 0.487) were the strongest correlates of impostor phenomenon, with the psychological domain explaining 38.0% of the total variance. Female sex, shorter sleep duration, heavier social media use, and lower GPA remained significant independent predictors in the adjusted regression model (overall R² = 48.1%), whereas institutional/structural factors such as scholarship and residential status showed no independent association. NOTE: This study was retrospectively registered. The study was conducted from June 2025 to August 2025 following the 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: * Active undergraduate students enrolled in semesters 3 or 4 within the sports science program at a public university in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia * Adequate proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia * Provision of written informed consent to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Documented history of active or treated psychiatric disorders * Documented history of substance use disorders * Incomplete survey responses or refusal to provide consent