Feelings of fraud among women in Turkey: Prevalence and demographic risk factors of the Impostor Phenomenon

Year 2024, , 55 - 70, 25.04.2024

Gamze Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.57127/kpd.26024438m0000107

Abstract

The Impostor Phenomenon is defined as the inability of individuals to internalize their achievements, believing they are fraudulent. The first aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of the Impostor Phenomenon in women in Turkey. The second aim of the present study is to describe the demographic risk factors of the Impostor Phenomenon. A total of 677 women who work or are undergraduate / graduate students in one of Turkey's four metropolitan cities (Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, and Izmir) participated in the research. The snowball sampling technique was used for data collection. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 65 years (Mage = 31.36, SD = 9.67). The Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale was used to measure the Impostor Phenomenon, and the Demographic Information Form was used to collect demographic characteristics. The findings showed that 65.73% of the participants had feelings of fraud at least at a moderate level. About 3% of them suffered from the Impostor Phenomenon intensely. In addition, it was found that the Impostor Phenomenon increased as age and duration of occupation decreased. When age was controlled for, it was revealed that low socio-economic status, postgraduate studentship, and postgraduate degree were associated with increased Impostor Phenomenon levels. These findings are discussed in light of the literature on the Impostor Phenomenon and mental health.

Keywords

Impostor phenomenon, Prevalence, Demographic risk factors, Mental health

Türkiye’deki kadınlarda sahtelik hisleri: Sahtekâr fenomeninin yaygınlığı ve demografik risk faktörleri

Abstract

Sahtekâr Fenomeni kişilerin başarılarını içselleştirememeleri ve kendilerinin birer sahtekâr olduklarına inanmaları olarak tanımlanır. Bu çalışmanın ilk amacı Türkiye’deki kadınlarda Sahtekâr Fenomeninin yaygınlığını tespit etmektir. Çalışmanın ikinci amacı ise Sahtekâr Fenomeninin demografik risk faktörlerini betimlemektir. Araştırmaya Türkiye’nin dört büyükşehrinden birinde (Ankara, Bursa, İstanbul ve İzmir) çalışan ya da lisans / lisansüstü öğrencisi olan 677 kadın katılmıştır. Verilerin toplanmasında kartopu örnekleme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Katılımcıların yaşları 18 ile 65 yaş arasında değişmektedir (Ort.yaş= 31. 36, SS = 9.67). Sahtekâr Fenomenini ölçmek için Clance Sahtekâr Fenomeni Ölçeği, demografik bilgileri toplamak için Demografik Bilgi Formu kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, katılımcıların %65.73’ünün ez az orta derecede sahtelik hislerine sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu katılımcıların yaklaşık %3’ü yoğun düzeyde Sahtekâr Fenomeninden muzdariptir. Ayrıca yaş ve meslekteki süre azaldıkça Sahtekâr Fenomeninin arttığı bulunmuştur. Yaş kontrol edildiğinde, alt sosyo-ekonomik durum, lisansüstü öğrenciliği ve lisansüstü mezuniyetinin artan Sahtekâr Fenomeni düzeyleriyle ilişkili olduğu açığa çıkarılmıştır. Bu bulgular, Sahtekâr Fenomeni ve mental sağlık literatürü ışığında tartışılmıştır.

Keywords

Sahtekâr Fenomeni, Yaygınlık, Demografik risk faktörleri, Mental sağlık

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