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The following is a summary of “Imposter phenomenon in psychiatrists: relationships among compassion fatigue, burnout, and maladaptive perfectionism,” published in the January 2025 issue of Psychiatry by Türkel et al.
The imposter phenomenon is the inability to recognize one’s accomplishments, often seen in doctors. Its relationship with burnout, compassion fatigue, and maladaptive perfectionism in mental health professionals has been underexplored.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore the impact of burnout, compassion fatigue, and maladaptive perfectionism on the imposter phenomenon among mental health professionals.
They conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional online survey from June to September 2023 with a sample of 160 psychiatrists. They used path analysis to test the relationships among study variables and assess model fit.
The results showed a strong correlation between the imposter phenomenon, burnout, and compassion fatigue when controlling for age and months of work for both genders. Maladaptive perfectionism directly and indirectly affected the imposter phenomenon through burnout and compassion fatigue.
Investigators found burnout and maladaptive perfectionism impacted the imposter phenomenon in psychiatrists. Reassessing societal norms contributing to burnout and perfectionism was suggested.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06470-7
