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Imposter Phenomenon, Social Comparison Orientation, and Mental Health: A Study of High-Achieving Indian College Students

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Title: Imposter Phenomenon, Social Comparison Orientation, and Mental Health: A Study of High-Achieving Indian College Students
Language: English
Authors: Sucharita Maji (ORCID 0000-0002-3096-3241), Vishal Shivhare, Yashwardhan Kumar
Source: Roeper Review. 2025 47(1):47-59.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, High Achievement, Undergraduate Students, Engineering Education, Mental Health, Self Esteem, Educational Status Comparison, Peer Evaluation, Peer Influence, Social Status, Social Influences, Social Desirability, Student Attitudes
Geographic Terms: India
DOI: 10.1080/02783193.2024.2420356
ISSN: 0278-3193
1940-865X
Abstract: Imposter phenomenon (IP) is characterized by an internal perception of one's intellectual fraudulence despite having objective and consistent accomplishments in a career. IP is prevalently observed among high-achieving, successful, and accomplished individuals, including students heading toward high-achieving careers. The current study explored the mental health consequences of IP among high-achieving Indian students. It was conducted with undergraduate engineering students (N = 302) enrolled in one prime engineering institution in India. A mediational model that connects IP, social comparison, and mental health has been tested. Social comparison has been assessed through both ability-related social comparison (A-SCO) and opinion-related social comparison (O-SCO). The results revealed that mental health negatively correlates with ability-related social comparison and IP. However, the opinion-related social comparison does not significantly correlate with the student's mental health status. Moreover, ability-related social comparison significantly mediates the relationship between IP and mental health. The study shows no gender difference in the variables.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1455038
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0181834986;roe01jan.25;2024Dec26.06:53;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0181834986-1">Imposter Phenomenon, Social Comparison Orientation, and Mental Health: A Study of High-Achieving Indian College Students </title> <p>Imposter phenomenon (IP) is characterized by an internal perception of one's intellectual fraudulence despite having objective and consistent accomplishments in a career. IP is prevalently observed among high-achieving, successful, and accomplished individuals, including students heading toward high-achieving careers. The current study explored the mental health consequences of IP among high-achieving Indian students. It was conducted with undergraduate engineering students (N = 302) enrolled in one prime engineering institution in India. A mediational model that connects IP, social comparison, and mental health has been tested. Social comparison has been assessed through both ability-related social comparison (A-SCO) and opinion-related social comparison (O-SCO). The results revealed that mental health negatively correlates with ability-related social comparison and IP. However, the opinion-related social comparison does not significantly correlate with the student's mental health status. Moreover, ability-related social comparison significantly mediates the relationship between IP and mental health. The study shows no gender difference in the variables.</p> <p>Keywords: engineering students; imposter phenomenon; mental health; social comparison</p> <p>During their psychotherapeutic practice, Clance and Imes ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref1">21</reflink>]) observed that successful women across cultures and professions chronically perceived themselves as intellectual frauds. Despite evidence of their abilities through persistent achievements, they felt like imposters, pretending to be intelligent. This "internal experience of intellectual phoniness marked by the inability of an individual to internalize successful professional experiences despite having objective evidence of such achievements" is known as the imposter phenomenon (IP; Clance & O'Toole, [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref2">22</reflink>], p. 51). While IP began its journey as an experience of successful women (Clance & Imes, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref3">21</reflink>]), later on, it was found to be prevalent among both males and females across high-achieving careers (Blondeau & Awad, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref4">11</reflink>]; Caselman et al., [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref5">15</reflink>]).</p> <p>Despite achieving objective and consistent successes in a career, a chronic sense of self-doubt lies at the core of IP. This leads one to attribute accomplishments to something external (Cowman & Ferrari, [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref6">27</reflink>]; Leary et al., [<reflink idref="bib70" id="ref7">70</reflink>]; Maji, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref8">75</reflink>]; Sakulku & Alexander, [<reflink idref="bib103" id="ref9">103</reflink>]). This external attribution might come in the form of ascribing success solely to "hard work, luck, knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time, or to their interpersonal assets such as charm and the ability to relate well, rather than to ability or competence" (Clance & O'Toole, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref10">23</reflink>], p. 52). This failure to internalize success emerges from one's low level of self-efficacy (DiFazio, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref11">33</reflink>]; McDowell et al., [<reflink idref="bib85" id="ref12">85</reflink>]; Wester et al., [<reflink idref="bib120" id="ref13">120</reflink>]; Yamini & Mandanizadeh, [<reflink idref="bib128" id="ref14">128</reflink>]), lower level of confidence in one's intelligence (Kumar & Jagacinski, [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref15">65</reflink>]), low self-esteem (Kamarzarrin et al., [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref16">61</reflink>]; Lee et al., [<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref17">71</reflink>]), and a high level of self-doubt (Sakulku, [<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref18">102</reflink>]).</p> <p>In terms of temperament factors, detachment (characterized by maintaining distance from social situations) and dependency (characterized by hypersensitivity to criticism from others) are positive predictors of IP (Ross & Krukowski, [<reflink idref="bib100" id="ref19">100</reflink>]). Personality traits like conscientiousness, characterized by one's "propensity to be self-controlled, responsible to others, hardworking, orderly, and rule-abiding" (Roberts, [<reflink idref="bib99" id="ref20">99</reflink>], p. 1315), positively correlate with IP (N. S. Bernard et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref21">10</reflink>]).</p> <p>IP has a connection with the extent to which one's profession/field represents a culture of genius (Slank, [<reflink idref="bib106" id="ref22">106</reflink>]), "the views about intelligence held by most of the members of an organization and expressed in the norms and values that give it structure" (p. 214). This explains why IP is common among disciplines characterized by high admission standards and a hypercompetitive environment (Chakraverty, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref23">18</reflink>]). The genius culture of a profession usually endorses the entity theory of intelligence, promoting intelligence as something fixed and cannot be developed through training (Murphy & Dweck, [<reflink idref="bib89" id="ref24">89</reflink>]). This explains why it is observed across competitive fields, for example, among academics (Hutchins & Rainbolt, [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref25">58</reflink>]; Topping, [<reflink idref="bib113" id="ref26">113</reflink>]), academically talented college students (Lee et al., [<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref27">71</reflink>]; Peteet et al., [<reflink idref="bib92" id="ref28">92</reflink>]), medical students (Bell et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref29">7</reflink>]; Deshmukh et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref30">31</reflink>]; Henning et al., [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref31">55</reflink>]; Ijaz et al., [<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref32">59</reflink>]; Shill-Russell et al., [<reflink idref="bib105" id="ref33">105</reflink>]), marketing managers (Fried-Buchalter, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref34">44</reflink>]), physician assistants (Mattie et al., [<reflink idref="bib83" id="ref35">83</reflink>]; Prata & Gietzen, [<reflink idref="bib95" id="ref36">95</reflink>]), doctoral students (Finlayson et al., [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref37">40</reflink>]), postdoctoral trainees (Chakraverty, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref38">18</reflink>]), and software engineers (Maji, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref39">75</reflink>]).</p> <p>IP is especially relevant for high-achieving students since previous studies (Coleman & Fults, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref40">26</reflink>]; Wilson et al., [<reflink idref="bib123" id="ref41">123</reflink>]) show giftedness leads to low self-concept, especially when high-achieving individuals are in a group of high-achieving individuals since it evokes an upward social comparison tendency. Marsh et al. ([<reflink idref="bib79" id="ref42">79</reflink>]) big-fish-little-pond effect also suggests that for the same person, academic self-concept is lowered when the average academic achievement of the class is high (Marsh et al., [<reflink idref="bib80" id="ref43">80</reflink>]). Low self-concept lies at the core of the IP experience. Thus, low self-concept evoked by the high-achieving environment might lead to IP experience among the students.</p> <p>The close connection of IP with the culture of genius, intelligence, low self-concept, and competitiveness makes IP a significant variable for the high-achieving students. However, researchers have observed that "there was almost no literature on the topic using modern day samples of high-ability and high-achieving students" (Rinn & Henshon, [<reflink idref="bib98" id="ref44">98</reflink>], p. 195).</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-2">Social comparison orientation and imposter phenomenon</hd> <p>Festinger's (Festinger, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref45">39</reflink>]) social comparison theory suggests that individuals often "evaluate their opinions and abilities by comparison with others" (p. 217). In addition to providing a source for the self-concept, social comparison is associated with two other motives (Gibbons & Buunk, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref46">48</reflink>]), for example, improvement and enhancement (Wills, [<reflink idref="bib122" id="ref47">122</reflink>]). Significant individual differences exist in terms of social comparison orientation (SCO; Fujita & Diener, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref48">45</reflink>]). Individuals with a high level of SCO are chronically vigilant of others and have a more unstable self-concept than individuals who score lower in this dimension (Vogel et al., [<reflink idref="bib117" id="ref49">117</reflink>]). There are two distinct types of social comparison:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Opinion social comparison (O-SCO) is noncompetitive and considers similarities and differences in opinions and values with others in a nonjudgmental manner.</item> <p></p> <item> Ability social comparison (A-SCO) is related to a person's self-appraisal of one's capability. It is found to be associated with competitiveness and judgment from others (Yang & Robinson, [<reflink idref="bib129" id="ref50">129</reflink>]) in the context of career and achievement. Conventionally, psychological literature has dealt chiefly with A-SCO.</item> </ulist> <p>The later development of SCO in terms of upward (i.e., comparing oneself with someone perceived as superior) and downward social comparison (i.e., comparing oneself with someone perceived as inferior) also relies on A-SCO (Wood, [<reflink idref="bib125" id="ref51">125</reflink>]). Individuals with low self-esteem (Cramer et al., [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref52">28</reflink>]) and low self-efficacy (Li et al., [<reflink idref="bib73" id="ref53">73</reflink>]) are more likely to have an upward social comparison for self-evaluation in social network sites than individuals with a high level of self-esteem.</p> <p>We could not detect any empirical study that has tested the causal connection of IP with ability SCO and opinion SCO. In a recent study, Jensen and Deemer ([<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref54">60</reflink>]) found a significant positive correlation between social comparison and IP among university students. However, this study treats social comparison as a global scale without considering the two-factor structure, i.e., ability and opinion.</p> <p>Some theoretical evidence connects IP with social comparison. Individuals with a high level of IP have low self-esteem (Kamarzarrin et al., [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref55">61</reflink>]) and low self-efficacy (McDowell et al., [<reflink idref="bib85" id="ref56">85</reflink>]; Wester et al., [<reflink idref="bib120" id="ref57">120</reflink>]). On the other hand, research on social comparison in social media shows a correlation between low self-esteem and social comparison (Bergagna & Tartaglia, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref58">8</reflink>]); that is, individuals who have low self-esteem, are more likely to use social comparison for developing a self-concept. Thus, it is possible that if an individual has low self-esteem, he/she is more likely to rely on social comparison, which provides a base for being more vulnerable to encountering IP.</p> <p>In addition, individuals with Type-A personalities, characterized by "being ambitious, competitive, impatient, and aggressive or hostile" (Sakitri, [<reflink idref="bib101" id="ref59">101</reflink>], p. 4) have high social comparison tendencies. Also, neurotic traits connect with SCO (VanderZee et al., [<reflink idref="bib115" id="ref60">115</reflink>]). On the other hand, individuals with IP have personality traits of neuroticism (N. S. Bernard et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref61">10</reflink>]; Chae et al., [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref62">16</reflink>]) and Type-A features (Hayes & Davis, [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref63">54</reflink>]). It is possible that due to personality dispositions, individuals with IP tend to have social comparison tendencies.</p> <p>Some qualitative work also suggests that the theme of an upward and a <emph>distorted</emph> form of social comparison is prominent among the narratives of individuals with IP (Hutchins & Rainbolt, [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref64">58</reflink>]; Lane, [<reflink idref="bib67" id="ref65">67</reflink>]; Maji, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref66">75</reflink>]). In Hutchins and colleagues' study ([<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref67">58</reflink>]), for instance, academic faculties have narrated that engaging in relentless social comparisons with colleagues has been one persistent experience of individuals with IP. Similarly, in an Indian study (Maji, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref68">75</reflink>]), comparing one's achievements with others (ability-related SCO) was one of the significant experiences of female software engineers with IP. In both these qualitative studies, the focus is on ability-social comparison rather than O-SCO.</p> <p>According to implicit intelligence theory (Dweck, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref69">35</reflink>]), individuals subscribe to either of two perceptions about intelligence: (a) entity theory of intelligence, where one believes that intelligence is fixed and cannot be developed through training, and (b) incremental theory of intelligence where one believes that intelligence is malleable and therefore can be acquired through practice and other strategies. People who subscribe to the entity view are the ones who pursue ability goals, where performance is determined by social comparison (Thompson & Musket, [<reflink idref="bib111" id="ref70">111</reflink>]). Ability-related goals are of two types: (a) ability-approach goals are determined by the need to perform better than others, and (b) ability-avoid goals are determined by the need to avoid failures as compared to others. In both of the ability goals, the concern for comparison with "others" is persistent. Individuals with IP are found to be motivated by ability goals. Thus, social comparison might be one crucial aspect associated with IP.</p> <p>In the current study, we addressed the research question of whether ability and opinion social comparison are significantly associated with IP.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-3">Imposter phenomenon and mental health</hd> <p>As mentioned earlier, the history of IP began in a psychotherapeutic setting. IP has severe mental health consequences (Cokley et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref71">25</reflink>]; Le, [<reflink idref="bib69" id="ref72">69</reflink>]; Sonnack & Towell, [<reflink idref="bib108" id="ref73">108</reflink>]). There are multiple pathways through which IP affects a person's mental health.</p> <p>IP is associated with a feeling of perfectionism (Cusack et al., [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref74">29</reflink>]; Henning et al., [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref75">55</reflink>]; Holden et al., [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref76">56</reflink>]) where the individuals have distorted conceptions of success, all-or-nothing mind-set, and biased attribution of mistakes. Perfectionism at a maladaptive level affects mental health status (Enns et al., [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref77">36</reflink>]; Henning et al., [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref78">55</reflink>]; Seeliger & Harendza, [<reflink idref="bib104" id="ref79">104</reflink>]; Yu et al., [<reflink idref="bib131" id="ref80">131</reflink>]) through psychological maladjustment, psychological distress, burnout, and a lowered self-efficacy.</p> <p>Authentic self-presentation lies at the core of mental health (Erler & Hope, [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref81">37</reflink>]; Grijak, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref82">51</reflink>]). Individuals with IP cannot express their authentic selves. They often feel like a <emph>phony</emph> (Rakestraw, [<reflink idref="bib97" id="ref83">97</reflink>]), <emph>fraud</emph>, <emph>imposter</emph>, and <emph>fake</emph> (De Vries, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref84">32</reflink>]; Harvey & Katz, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref85">53</reflink>]) who have been pretending to carry a mask of an "intelligent" individual (McGregor et al., [<reflink idref="bib86" id="ref86">86</reflink>]). This incongruence between the presented self and real feelings might lead to mental health issues, including depression (McGregor et al., [<reflink idref="bib86" id="ref87">86</reflink>]).</p> <p>IP has anxiety at its core which is a "fundamental phenomenon and the central problem of neurosis" (Freud, [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref88">43</reflink>], p. 85). This anxiety might emerge from (a) the fear that others will discover their lack of ability (Clance & O'Toole, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref89">23</reflink>]) or (b) the fear of not being able to repeat success.</p> <p>The previously mentioned reasons explain why the existing studies are consistent in showing IP's effects on mental health disorders like depression (Cusack et al., [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref90">29</reflink>]; McGregor et al., [<reflink idref="bib86" id="ref91">86</reflink>]; Spinath, [<reflink idref="bib109" id="ref92">109</reflink>]) and deteriorated global mental health (Bernard et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref93">9</reflink>]; Kananifar et al., [<reflink idref="bib62" id="ref94">62</reflink>]). In the current study, we addressed the research question of whether IP is significantly associated with mental health.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-4">Social comparison and mental health: The mediating role of imposter phenomenon</hd> <p>While most of the existing literature aligns with the fact that social comparison has notable impacts on self-evaluation and self-improvement, social comparison might also come at the cost of mental health hazards. Empirical findings are consistent in concluding that upward social comparison has negative impacts on psychological well-being (Park & Baek, [<reflink idref="bib91" id="ref95">91</reflink>]). Upward social comparison in the digital space negatively predicts a person's subjective well-being by deteriorating their overall life satisfaction and eudaimonia (fulfillment of self-concordant goals; Gerson et al., [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref96">46</reflink>]). Social comparison leads to negative affective states like state anxiety (Zheng et al., [<reflink idref="bib133" id="ref97">133</reflink>]; anxiety specific to situations), body-focused anxiety (Dittmar & Howard, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref98">34</reflink>]; defined by body dissatisfaction), intolerance for uncertainty (Butzer & Kuiper, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref99">13</reflink>]), and jealousy (Frampton & Fox, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref100">41</reflink>]; Peter & Judith, [<reflink idref="bib93" id="ref101">93</reflink>]). Moreover, a chronic tendency of upward social comparison might lead to clinically significant mental health disorders like depression (Ahrens & Alloy, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref102">1</reflink>]; Dagnan & Sandhu, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref103">30</reflink>]; Dittmar & Howard, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref104">34</reflink>]; Gibbons, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref105">47</reflink>]; Swallow & Kuiper, [<reflink idref="bib110" id="ref106">110</reflink>]).</p> <p>All these studies treat SCO as a global phenomenon. But, the effect of SCO on mental health might depend on the type of SCO. Comparing one's ability with others is negatively correlated with the psychological capital of a person (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism), which in turn, negatively impacts one's psychological well-being. C. C. Yang and Robinson ([<reflink idref="bib129" id="ref107">129</reflink>]) found that O-SCO in social media does not significantly impact a person's self-esteem, whereas A-SCO does. In another study (G. Yang et al., [<reflink idref="bib130" id="ref108">130</reflink>]) A-SCO had a negative correlation with mental health, but O-SCO shows no significant association.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-5">Current study</hd> <p>The purpose of the current paper is to study whether IP mediates the relationship between social comparison and the mental health status of high-achieving students. This study is essential in addressing the following research gaps.</p> <p>Processes like the culture of genius and entity theory of intelligence make IP a relevant psychological process for academically talented undergraduates (Lee et al., [<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref109">71</reflink>]). However, there exists a population gap in this context. In a recent interview, Rinn and Henshon ([<reflink idref="bib98" id="ref110">98</reflink>]) mentioned that while working on her book ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref111">18</reflink>]), Henshon "realized there was almost no literature on the topic using modern-day samples of high-ability and high-achieving students" (p. 195). Working on IP among high-achieving undergraduates is especially relevant in the STEM context since previous research hypothesized (Felder, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref112">38</reflink>]) and showed anecdotal observations (French et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref113">42</reflink>]) of a higher prevalence of IP among engineering students. These findings call for empirical research. In premier engineering institutions, entry to academic programs (Banerjee & Muley, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref114">5</reflink>]) is highly competitive in India. This hyper-competitiveness might make the students even more vulnerable to IP experiences.</p> <p>In recent years, there has been a large number of reported suicide cases in premier engineering institutions of India, including the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Technology (Chaitanya, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref115">17</reflink>]; TNN, [<reflink idref="bib112" id="ref116">112</reflink>]). One 2022 report published in the New Indian Express shows that 52 students at the Indian Institutes of Technology have committed suicide in the last decade. This newspaper article prominently denotes the need to focus on the mental health issue of engineering students in these institutes. However, there exists an empirical gap (Miles, [<reflink idref="bib87" id="ref117">87</reflink>]; Müller-Bloch & Kranz, [<reflink idref="bib88" id="ref118">88</reflink>]) since not much empirical research has investigated this. Through the current study, we have explored the mental health status of engineering undergraduate students of premier engineering institutions.</p> <p>Considering the severity of the mental health issues of Indian students, it is important to develop intervention programs and/or counseling strategies to support these students, especially the high-achieving students of the premier institutions. The current study can provide some input to such interventions. Since social comparison is connected with the collectivism of a culture (Baldwin & Mussweiler, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref119">4</reflink>]), it is important to test whether the excessive tendency of social comparison impacts the students' mental health through the mediating effects of IP. Existing studies show that in Asian countries parents often use Confucian parenting practices which involve "external aspects of selfhood" (Cohen et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref120">24</reflink>]) and vertical social hierarchy (Triandis & Gelfand, [<reflink idref="bib114" id="ref121">114</reflink>]). Social comparison with other children, including siblings and cousins are commonplace (Wu et al., [<reflink idref="bib126" id="ref122">126</reflink>]). In Indian parenting, specifically, Sondhi ([<reflink idref="bib107" id="ref123">107</reflink>]) mentioned that parenting is defined by dependent-oriented control (pressure to be physically and emotionally close to the parents) and achievement-oriented control (pressure to perform the best and achieving excellence). This achievement-oriented control might lead to a higher tendency of ability social comparison.</p> <p>Most existing studies showing processes of social comparison associated with IP are qualitative in nature (Hutchins & Rainbolt, [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref124">58</reflink>]; Lane, [<reflink idref="bib67" id="ref125">67</reflink>]; Maji, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref126">75</reflink>]). There is a methodological gap since only a few studies have quantitatively tested the causal relationship of IP with A-SCO and O-SCO. We could find only one study that explores the relationship between the imposter phenomenon and social comparison (Jensen & Deemer, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref127">60</reflink>]). However, a knowledge gap exists (Miles, [<reflink idref="bib87" id="ref128">87</reflink>]) since this study defines social comparison on a global scale rather than individually addressing ability-related SCO and opinion-related SCO. Through the current study, we aim to address this gap.</p> <p>The studies that address the connection between (a) social comparison and IP, and (b) social comparison and mental health, do not deal with high-achieving samples. However, the existing studies show that social comparison is crucial in determining the lowered self-concept among high-achieving students, especially when other high-achieving individuals surround them since it evokes upward social comparisons (Coleman & Fults, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref129">26</reflink>]; Wilson et al., [<reflink idref="bib123" id="ref130">123</reflink>]). This makes social comparison an essential aspect of the psychological realities of high-achieving students, especially when they are surrounded by other high-achieving students, such as in the case of academic institutions of high status. The current study addresses this population gap by researching high-achieving students.</p> <p>In terms of the connection between IP and mental health, many studies show a consistent pattern of IP's deteriorating effects on mental health. However, a population gap exists since most of these studies are based on Western societies. No relevant studies could be detected that study the connection between IP and mental health in the Asian context.</p> <p>To address these research gaps, in the current study, we test the mediational relationship between SCO, IP, and mental health. Based on the existing literature, a negative association between mental health and social comparison has been hypothesized. Also, it can be hypothesized that ability-related and opinion-related social comparison will be positively related to the imposter phenomenon. Also, IP is hypothesized to be negatively associated with mental health status. Social comparisons may show a significant association with mental health through the mediating effect of the imposter phenomenon. If a student has a higher level of SCO, it might deteriorate their mental health status through the indirect effect of IP. Through this study, we aimed at addressing the research question of whether IP mediates the relationship between social comparison and mental health.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-6">Method</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0181834986-7">Sample and procedure</hd> <p>The online Google survey form was floated to a group of 410 students. The students were informed about the study and were requested to volunteer. A total of 302 Indian undergraduate engineering students finally filled out the form. The study incorporated students from one premier engineering institution in India. Premier institutes are institutes of <emph>National Importance</emph> as conferred by the Indian Parliament. These institutes are "a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state" (Maji et al., [<reflink idref="bib78" id="ref131">78</reflink>], p. 423). Indian Institutes of Technology and National Institutes of Technology are premier engineering institutions in India. The students are high-achieving since they have cleared a very competitive entrance test (Joint Entrance Examination [JEE]) to be a part of the undergraduate programs in these premier engineering institutions. In 2022, reportedly 905,590 individuals took JEE and the total number of seats available across the IITs [IIT JEE Advanced] was around 16,000 (Gohain, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref132">49</reflink>]). This makes the acceptance rate less than 2%. To explain how difficult it is to get into IITs, a "CBS 60 minutes television program in the United States gave the equation of Harvard + MIT + Princeton = IIT" (Varma & Kapur, [<reflink idref="bib116" id="ref133">116</reflink>], p. 704).</p> <p>Digital informed consent was taken from all the participants. The participants were required to complete an online survey. In the current sample, 57 (18.9%) participants are from metropolitan cities, 117 (38.74%) participants are from urban places, 61 (20.2%) participants are from semi-urban places, and 67 (22.2%) participants are from rural places. Among the participants, there were 199 (65.9%) males and 103 (34.1%) females, with an age range between 17 and 22 years (<emph>M</emph> = 19.2 years, <emph>SD</emph> = 1.05).</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-8">Measures</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0181834986-9">Social comparison orientation</hd> <p>To assess the level of social comparison among the students, we used the Questionnaire of the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure proposed by Gibbons and Buunk ([<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref134">48</reflink>]). This scale consists of 11 items, and participants needed to respond on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 <emph>(disagree strongly</emph>) to 5 (<emph>agree strongly</emph>). Two sample items of this questionnaire are: "I always pay a lot of attention to how I do things compared with how others do things," and "I am not the type of person who often compares with others (reverse coded)." This scale has been used in Indian samples in previous studies (Rajan et al., [<reflink idref="bib96" id="ref135">96</reflink>]). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to assess the factor structures of the scales. The existing literature suggests a two-factor model of SCO with Ability orientation (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6) and Opinion orientation (items 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11). To assess the model fit, three widely recognized criteria are used; Chi-square/degree of freedom ratio (</p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mi mathvariant="italic">χ</mi><mrow><msup><mn>2</mn><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic" /></mrow></msup></mrow></math> </ephtml> /df ratio), the comparative fit index (CFI), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA; Martens, [<reflink idref="bib81" id="ref136">81</reflink>]; Weston & Gore, [<reflink idref="bib121" id="ref137">121</reflink>]). For checking the acceptability of fit, we have followed the criteria; CFI ≥.95, RMSEA ≤.06 (Hu & Bentler, [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref138">57</reflink>]), and</p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mi mathvariant="italic">χ</mi><mrow><msup><mn>2</mn><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic" /></mrow></msup></mrow></math> </ephtml> /df ≤ 2 (Byrne, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref139">14</reflink>]). A two-factor model with eight items shows a good fit to the data,</p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mi mathvariant="italic">χ</mi><mrow><msup><mn>2</mn><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic" /></mrow></msup></mrow></math> </ephtml> /df ratio = 2.016, CFI =.956, RMSEA =.06. The CFA results showed standardized parameter estimations ranging from.526 to.802. The internal reliability of the scale for the current sample is satisfactory (<emph>α</emph> =.746).</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-10">Mental health</hd> <p>We used the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) to assess the mental health status of the participants. It is a 12-item scale developed by Goldberg and Hillier ([<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref140">50</reflink>]). Here are some questionnaire items: "Been able to concentrate on what you're doing?" "Felt you couldn't overcome your difficulties?" Participants indicated the extent to which they agreed with each statement on the questionnaire on a 4-point Likert-type scale. This scale has been previously used in an Indian sample and is found to show good psychometric property (Kashyap & Singh, [<reflink idref="bib63" id="ref141">63</reflink>]). Previous studies also show good psychometric properties of this scale in an Indian sample (Maji & Abhiram, [<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref142">76</reflink>]). A higher score on this scale shows issues in mental health status and a lower score indicates better mental health status. A one-factor model with 12 items for this scale provided a good fit to the data,</p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mi mathvariant="italic">χ</mi><mrow><msup><mn>2</mn><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic" /></mrow></msup></mrow></math> </ephtml> /df ratio = 1.747, CFI =.978, RMSEA =.050. The results of the CFA showed that with standardized parameter estimations ranging from.5 to.78, the internal reliability of the scale for the current sample is satisfactory (<emph>α</emph> =.894).</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-11">Imposter phenomenon</hd> <p>The Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (Clance, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref143">20</reflink>]) was used in the current study to assess the level of IP. This scale has 20 items; one must rate himself/herself on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (<emph>not-at-all true</emph>) to 5 (<emph>very true</emph>). Two sample items of the scale include: "I often compare my ability to those around me and think they may be more intelligent than I am." and "I'm often afraid that I may fail at a new assignment or undertaking even though I generally do well at what I attempt." A higher score on this scale would mean a person's higher level of IP. This scale has shown good psychometric properties on the Indian sample (Maji & Dixit, [<reflink idref="bib77" id="ref144">77</reflink>]; Mascarenhas et al., [<reflink idref="bib82" id="ref145">82</reflink>]). A first-order confirmatory factor analysis of the one-factor model with 14 items for this scale provided a satisfactory fit to the sample data;</p> <p>Graph</p> <p> <ephtml> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mi mathvariant="italic">χ</mi><mrow><msup><mn>2</mn><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic" /></mrow></msup></mrow></math> </ephtml> /df ratio = 1.925, CFI =.954, RMSEA =.055. This fitness index is observed after incorporating five meaningful error covariance suggested by modification indices. The results of the CFA showed that with standardized parameter estimations ranging from.41 to.73. The internal reliability for the scale is satisfactory (<emph>α</emph> =.876).</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-12">Procedure</hd> <p>For the current study, we used Google Forms, especially since all the students were attending classes online because of the COVID-pandemic situation. The survey was approximately 10 min to 12 min. Ethical clearance for conducting the study was taken from the Institutional Ethical Committee, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad on 06/09/2021. Digital informed consent was taken from all the participants and anonymity was ensured.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-13">Data analysis</hd> <p>Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS 21 software and AMOS 21 software. At first, measurement models were tested for all the scales. The model fit indices of all these measurement models are already provided in the previous section. To check whether differences exist in the variables of the study (social comparison, imposter phenomenon, mental health) based on demographic characteristics (geographical location), a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The significance level for the current study was set at <emph>p</emph> =.05. Also, the Tukey Honest Significance Difference Test (HSD) was performed when a significant difference was found. We also used Omega-square (ω<sups>2</sups>) to determine the effect size of the measured variable (Lakens, [<reflink idref="bib66" id="ref146">66</reflink>]). The normality of the distribution of the scores was checked by assessed checking the skewness and kurtosis values, which were in the acceptable range (Osborne, [<reflink idref="bib90" id="ref147">90</reflink>]). All variables met the criteria for normality in terms of skewness and kurtosis. The skewness ranged from −.9 to.33. The kurtosis values ranged from −1.34 to.33. Since all the survey questions were mandatory fields, there was no issue related to missing values. No multivariate outliers were detected based on the Mahalanabis distance square values. Zero-order correlations between the psychological variables were checked.</p> <p>For checking the common method bias, that is "variance that is attributable to the measurement method rather than to the construct of interest" (Bagozzi et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref148">3</reflink>], p. 426), we followed Harman's single-factor model (Harman, [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref149">52</reflink>]). The first factor accounted for 16.471% of the variance, with no single factor explaining most of the variance. Furthermore, no two variables showed extremely high correlations (<emph>r ></emph>.90; Bagozzi et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref150">3</reflink>]). This indicates that common method variance did not affect the validity of this study (Podsakoff & Organ, [<reflink idref="bib94" id="ref151">94</reflink>]). In the end, we tested a mediation model where IP is the mediator, social comparison is the independent variable, and mental health is the dependent variable.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-14">Results</hd> <p>The one-way analysis of variance reveals no statistically significant difference in IP, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref152">3</reflink>, 298) =.779, <emph>p</emph> =.506, ω<sups>2 </sups> = −.0021, based on the geographical location of a person; the effect size is small. There is no statistically significant difference in ability social comparison, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref153">3</reflink>, 298) =.805, <emph>p</emph> =.492, ω<sups>2</sups> = −.0019 and opinion social comparison, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref154">3</reflink>, 298) =.174, <emph>p</emph> =.914, ω<sups>2</sups> = −.0023 based on the geographical location of a person; the effect size is small. There is a statistically significant difference in mental health status, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref155">3</reflink>, 298) = 4.836, <emph>p</emph> =.003, ω<sups>2</sups> =.036] based on the geographical location of a person; the effect size is small. The one-way analysis of variance reveals no statistically significant difference in the imposter phenomenon, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref156">1</reflink>, 300) =.243, <emph>p</emph> =.622, ω<sups>2</sups> = −.0025 based on gender; the effect size is small. There is no statistically significant difference in ability social comparison, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref157">1</reflink>, 300) = 2.643, <emph>p</emph> =.105, ω<sups>2</sups> =.0054 and opinion social comparison, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref158">1</reflink>, 300) = 1.056, <emph>p</emph> =.305, ω<sups>2</sups> =.0052 based on gender; the effect size is small. There is no statistically significant difference in mental health, <emph>F</emph>(<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref159">1</reflink>, 300) = 3.202, <emph>p</emph> =.075, ω<sups>2</sups> =.0072 based on gender; the effect size is small.</p> <p>There is a significant negative correlation between ability social comparison and mental health (<emph>r =</emph> −.156, <emph>p <</emph>.05). However, there is no significant correlation between opinion social comparison and mental health. Also, there is a significant negative correlation between the imposter phenomenon and mental health (<emph>r =</emph> −.250, <emph>p <</emph>.01). There is a significant positive correlation between the imposter phenomenon and both ability (<emph>r = </emph>.454, <emph>p <</emph>.01) and opinion components of social comparison orientation (<emph>r =</emph>.265, <emph>p <</emph>.01).</p> <p>Building on Baron and Kenny ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref160">6</reflink>]), for conducting a mediational analysis, three criteria must be fulfilled:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> The predictor must have a significant impact on the mediators.</item> <p></p> <item> The proposed mediating variable must significantly impact the criterion variable.</item> <p></p> <item> The predictor variable will significantly impact the criterion variable even when the mediator variable is removed from the equation.</item> </ulist> <p>However, some researchers suggest that complete/full mediation does not require the direct effect of the predictor variable on the outcome variable (MacKinnon et al., [<reflink idref="bib74" id="ref161">74</reflink>]).</p> <p>In the current study, these three criteria were examined by testing three different linear regression analyses:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Ability social comparison (predictor) has a statistically significant effect on imposter phenomenon (mediator) (ẞ =.55, <emph>p =</emph>.021).</item> <p></p> <item> The effect of IP (mediator) on mental health (criterion) is significant (ẞ =.28, <emph>p =</emph>.012).</item> <p></p> <item> The effect of ability social comparison on mental health is significant even in the absence of the mediator (ẞ =.15, <emph>p =</emph>.03).</item> </ulist> <p>At the end, we tested the indirect effect of ability social comparison on the mental health of a person through imposter phenomenon. A mediational model is found to have a good fit to the data, χ2/df ratio = 1.658, CFI =.916, RMSEA =.047. The indirect effect was significant (Indirect effect =.154, Boot LLCI =.092, & Boot ULCI =.241). Also, after the inclusion of the mediator in the model, the direct effect of ability social comparison on mental health was found to be no more significant. This signifies a full mediation (Zhao et al., [<reflink idref="bib132" id="ref162">132</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-15">Discussion</hd> <p>As was mentioned earlier, there is a lack of literature on high-achieving students' IP tendencies (Rinn & Henshon, [<reflink idref="bib98" id="ref163">98</reflink>]). The current study successfully addresses this research gap by studying high-achieving college students and concluding that social comparison tendencies (both ability-related comparisons and opinion-related comparisons) provide a base for IP experiences among them. The study reveals that the association of IP is stronger with the ability-SCO as compared to opinion-SCO. This indicates that high-achieving engineering students, who competitively compare themselves with others to assess their ability, are more likely to have a higher level of IP traits. While even comparing with others based on opinions tends to have a significant effect on IP tendencies, this association is not as strong. Thus, social comparison of any sort detrimentally associates with IP.</p> <p>These findings are consistent with the qualitative studies on IP that showed the chronic tendency of comparison is evident among individuals with IP (Maji, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref164">75</reflink>]). Also, it confirms the studies with high-achieving students, which showed a lowered self-concept resulting from chronic upward social comparison, especially when one is surrounded by other high-achieving students. The link between social comparison tendencies and IP is a further reminder why teachers, student advisors, and parents must take into consideration the potentially fatal effects of constantly comparing children with someone achieving higher. This is especially true in an Asian context where parenting is often characterized by comparison with other children or siblings (Cheah et al., [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref165">19</reflink>]; Wu et al., [<reflink idref="bib126" id="ref166">126</reflink>]). Also, the Indian education system is characterized by its competitiveness. In the sample section, it has been mentioned how competitive the entrance tests for the engineering institutes are.</p> <p>In most of the prime Indian engineering institutions, the campuses are residential. Classrooms and hostels are shared by students with a similar level of academic talent since entry to institutions is based on extremely difficult entrance tests. This hyper-competitiveness and proximity to other high-achieving students might lead to a higher level of social comparison, ultimately affecting one's self-concept. This chronic self-doubt and low self-concept might be the reason why ability-SCO leads to higher vulnerability to IP. Future studies might explore the moderating role of perceived hyper-competitiveness, self-doubt, and self-concept in the relationship between IP and SCO.</p> <p>Moreover, the study shows that IP has a significant negative effect on the overall mental health status of students. This finding aligns with the existing literature (Kananifar et al., [<reflink idref="bib62" id="ref167">62</reflink>]). It is significant in the context of mental health on the academic campuses. Most of the time, individuals with IP contact mental health professionals with symptoms similar to anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, or overall deteriorated mental health. Therefore, the psychotherapist needs to reach the underlying cause of these psychological symptoms and identify the source, which might not be a simple task due to the defensive mechanisms used by them. It is possible that when high-achieving students contact mental health professionals, they complain about social dysfunction, anxiety, and somatic symptoms (Bravata et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref168">12</reflink>]). The findings of the current study provide insights to mental health professionals as they might try exploring whether these symptoms have an origin in IP.</p> <p>The significant direct and indirect effects of ability-SCO on the mental health status of engineering students also provide input to mental health professionals working especially in the context of academic campuses. Counseling programs must focus on reducing the social comparison tendency of individuals. At the institutional level, teachers also often use social comparison in their classes when they compare the performance of students with other higher-achieving students. This behavior might actually increase the IP level among students, ultimately deteriorating their mental health. Focusing on a learning-orientated rather than performance-oriented approach might be beneficial in reducing the hyper-competitiveness that evokes social comparison tendencies. However, in many countries, the academic hyper-competitiveness results from the population growth and economic condition. In a Turkey-based study, for instance, Akin ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref169">2</reflink>]) found that population growth and unemployment are significant predictors of competition in the university entrance test. Thus, systemic changes might be difficult in such countries.</p> <p>Not many studies have explored interventions for IP; this is even rare in the context of intervention for students. Among the existing studies, Langford and Clance ([<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref170">68</reflink>]) and Kohut ([<reflink idref="bib64" id="ref171">64</reflink>]) suggested a mirroring strategy involving "acceptance and confirmation of the self in its grandness, goodness, and wholeness" (Wolf, [<reflink idref="bib124" id="ref172">124</reflink>], p. 184) that might be beneficial in dealing with IP. Similarly, Deshmukh et al. ([<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref173">31</reflink>]) developed their intervention based on awareness programs. We could not find any study where excessive social comparison has been used as a foundation of counseling for individuals going through IP. Future research might use social comparison as a component to build interventions for dealing with IP.</p> <p>Qualitative research might explore whether and how teachers and parents further aggravate social comparison tendencies among students in competitive fields, which, in turn, catalyzes IP and deteriorates their mental health status. Some studies have revealed a connection between parenting style (characterized by overprotectiveness and parental care) and IP (Li et al., [<reflink idref="bib72" id="ref174">72</reflink>]; Want & Kleitman, [<reflink idref="bib119" id="ref175">119</reflink>]; Yaffe, [<reflink idref="bib127" id="ref176">127</reflink>]). It might be interesting to explore whether a content of comparison in parenting might aggravate IP level. In a qualitative study, Maji ([<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref177">75</reflink>]) found a trend among women with IP where parents compared siblings. Future research might quantitatively test the effect of such parenting patterns on IP with the mediating effect of SCO.</p> <p>Future research might also aim at exploring the cultural point of view of social comparison tendencies inside the classroom. In collectivist cultures, for instance, there might be a higher frequency of social comparison promoted by teachers and parents, which, in turn increases students' vulnerability to IP. It might be interesting to know whether cultural differences exist in terms of the connection between SCO, IP, and mental health.</p> <p>There are limitations of the current study. The investigation uses cross-sectional data to test the mediational model. However, some researchers criticized using cross-sectional data for mediational models as it might lead to biased interpretations (Maxwell & Cole, [<reflink idref="bib84" id="ref178">84</reflink>]) since there might be some temporal connection between the outcome and antecedents (Wang & Cheng, [<reflink idref="bib118" id="ref179">118</reflink>]). A longitudinal design would have provided more confidence in the findings.</p> <p>The study is drawn from one prime engineering institution in India. We would have better generalizability of the findings if we could collect data from some other engineering institutions.</p> <hd id="AN0181834986-16">Disclosure statement</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).</p> <ref id="AN0181834986-17"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref102" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Ahrens, A. H., & Alloy, L. B. (1997). Social comparison processes in depression. In B. P. Buunk & F. X. 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Upward social comparison and state anxiety as mediators between passive social network site usage and online compulsive buying among women. Addictive Behaviors, 111, 106569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106569</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Sucharita Maji; Vishal Shivhare and Yashwardhan Kumar</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author; Author</p> <p></p> <p>Sucharita Maji is an assistant professor of psychology at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad, India. Her interest broadly lies in the area of psychology of gender and social psychiatry. Her recent project deals with the mental health issues encountered by Indian students with an emphasis on suicidal behaviors. sucharita@iitism.ac.in</p> <p>Vishal Shivhare is a data scientist currently working with Tredence analytics. He completed his bachelor of technology in mechanical engineering from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. He is proficient with machine learning and data analysis techniques, and is interested in psychological concepts. vishivhare2001@gmail.com</p> <p>Yashwardhan Kumar works as a reporting analyst at Axis Bank. He has pursued his bachelor of technology in electrical engineering from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. His interest lies in social psychology, poetry, and mathematics. yashsbg1319@gmail.com</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref6"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib70" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib75" firstref="ref8"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib103" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref11"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib85" firstref="ref12"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib120" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib128" firstref="ref14"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib65" firstref="ref15"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib61" firstref="ref16"></nolink> 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Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Imposter Phenomenon, Social Comparison Orientation, and Mental Health: A Study of High-Achieving Indian College Students
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sucharita+Maji%22">Sucharita Maji</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3096-3241">0000-0002-3096-3241</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vishal+Shivhare%22">Vishal Shivhare</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yashwardhan+Kumar%22">Yashwardhan Kumar</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Roeper+Review%22"><i>Roeper Review</i></searchLink>. 2025 47(1):47-59.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 13
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+Achievement%22">High Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+Education%22">Engineering Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+Health%22">Mental Health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Esteem%22">Self Esteem</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Status+Comparison%22">Educational Status Comparison</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Peer+Evaluation%22">Peer Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Peer+Influence%22">Peer Influence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Status%22">Social Status</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Influences%22">Social Influences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Desirability%22">Social Desirability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22India%22">India</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1080/02783193.2024.2420356
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0278-3193<br />1940-865X
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Imposter phenomenon (IP) is characterized by an internal perception of one's intellectual fraudulence despite having objective and consistent accomplishments in a career. IP is prevalently observed among high-achieving, successful, and accomplished individuals, including students heading toward high-achieving careers. The current study explored the mental health consequences of IP among high-achieving Indian students. It was conducted with undergraduate engineering students (N = 302) enrolled in one prime engineering institution in India. A mediational model that connects IP, social comparison, and mental health has been tested. Social comparison has been assessed through both ability-related social comparison (A-SCO) and opinion-related social comparison (O-SCO). The results revealed that mental health negatively correlates with ability-related social comparison and IP. However, the opinion-related social comparison does not significantly correlate with the student's mental health status. Moreover, ability-related social comparison significantly mediates the relationship between IP and mental health. The study shows no gender difference in the variables.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1455038
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1455038
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/02783193.2024.2420356
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 47
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: High Achievement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Engineering Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental Health
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self Esteem
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Status Comparison
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Peer Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Peer Influence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Status
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Influences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Desirability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: India
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Imposter Phenomenon, Social Comparison Orientation, and Mental Health: A Study of High-Achieving Indian College Students
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Sucharita Maji
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Vishal Shivhare
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Yashwardhan Kumar
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0278-3193
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1940-865X
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 47
            – Type: issue
              Value: 1
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Roeper Review
              Type: main
ResultId 1