Impostor Syndrome and Burnout in Swiss Residents and Chief Residents Anaesthesiologists

November 27, 2023 updated by: Mia Gisselbaek, University Hospital, Geneva

Prevalence and Experiences of Impostor Syndrome in Anaesthesiology Residents and Chief Residents

Surveys including a demographic chart, the Clance Impostor phenomenon scale (CIPS) and the Malash burnout inventory for medical personnel (MBI-HSS-MP) will be sent to residents and chief-residents in anesthesiology in Latin Switzerland (VD, VS, GE, Ti).

A qualitative study will then explore the experiences and coping strategies of self-doubt and impostor syndrome of junior resident anesthesiologists working at Geneva University Hospital, during their transition from mandatory training in internal medicine to anesthesiology.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The Impostor syndrome (IS), as first described by Clance and Imes, is the "Inability to internalize success and the tendency to attribute success to external causes such as luck, error or knowing the appropriate individuals". Failure to recognize personal or professional success may lead to a sense of fraudulence or impostorism and may have negative consequences for career advancement and well-being. IS has been described among men and women in multiple settings worldwide. A systematic review of IS found that it often co-occurs with depression and anxiety and can lead to poor job performance and burnout.

A number of studies have explored IS among health professionals and its impact on professional performance. Healthcare professionals with heavy workloads and responsibility for patient care may be exposed to errors, feelings of self-doubt, anxiety and guilt. A recent scoping review of IS among physicians and physicians in training showed that low self-esteem, institutional culture and female gender were associated with higher rates of IS, which was itself associated with higher rates of burnout. Experiences of underperformance and inadequate self-assessment in physicians were also linked to self-doubt and feelings of fraudulence. Medical culture itself may encourage such individual blame and perfectionism.

IS has not been well studied within the field of anesthesia. Anesthesia is a technical medical specialization characterized by its high stress level. Anesthesiologists are subject to burnout and drug dependence due to their work-related stress and facilitated access to medications. The responsibilities to care for patient lives during unstable periods brought by the surgical act or medical condition generates a particularly high tension for anesthesiologists.

The purpose of our study is to assess the prevalence of IS and burnout in Swiss anesthesiology residents and chief residents and explore in depth the experiences and coping strategies of junior resident anesthesiologists in one French-speaking Swiss hospital.

This will be done by first conducting a survey including two scales (one that assess Burnout (MBI-HSS MP) and one that assess Impostor Syndrome (CIPS)) and a demographic part to understand which residents and chief-residents are more prone to endure such feelings. The investigators also want to understand if those feelings are linked to a recent transition either in institutions or in role.

The investigators also want to do in-depth interviews with residents in anesthesiology to understand how and in which situations those feelings arise and to uncover which coping strategies they use.

The proposed study corresponds to risk category A, as participants in the study are not exposed to any direct health risk. Nonetheless, psychological support will be available to the participants taking part in the qualitative sub-study, in the event that surveys and interviews arouse difficult emotions.

These results will be used to identify potential strategies to prevent IS and its negative consequences, potentially burnout, among Swiss anesthesiologists. The investigators plan to construct and implement (Test) interventions aimed at medical students and residents to increase knowledge of impostor syndrome and burnout and to give them tools to react to such feelings.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
      • Geneva, Switzerland, 1205
        • Geneva's university hospitals

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Residents and chief residents in anaesthesiology working in Latin Switzerland.

Residents are currently undergoing post-graduate medical training in Anaesthesiology

Chief-Residents have completed their residency and are board-certified Anaesthesiologists working in Swiss institutions.

We estimate a total population of about 140-150 residents and 100-120 chief residents.

Description

Inclusion criteria for the survey:

• Currently working hospitals included in the COMASUL network (COMmission Latine d'engagement pour l'Anesthésie et SUisse Latine : HUG - CHUV - Lugano - Bellinzona - Morges - Nyon - Rennaz - Payerne - Sion - Neuchâtel - Fribourg)

Exclusion criteria for the survey:

  • Working outside of the COMASUL network
  • Specialized anaesthesiologists who are not currently chief residents.

Inclusion criteria for the in-depth interviews:

• Beginning anesthesiology residency at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) in either May or November (standard residency starting times, which will be used as recruitment time)

Exclusion criteria for the in-depth interviews:

• Having started the anesthesiology residency at the HUG before the May or November recruitment times, or having previous work experience at the HUG in the anesthesiology department.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Residents in Anaesthesiology

The residents in Anaesthesiology (French-speaking part of Switzerland) will be enrolled to both:

  • Fill a cross-sectional online survey
  • Enter a qualitative study from the beginning of their residency at Geneva's university hospital
Diagnostic test: Clance impostor phenomenon scale
The CIPS will be used as "diagnostic test" in the online survey.
Other Names:
  • CIPS
Diagnostic test: Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Professional
The MBI-HSS-MP will be used as "diagnostic test" in the online survey.
Other Names:
  • MBI-HSS-MP
Chief-Residents in Anaesthesiology
Chief-Residents (Board-certified anaesthesiologists after post-graduate training) in French-speaking part of Switzerland will be enrolled to fill a cross-sectional online survey
Diagnostic test: Clance impostor phenomenon scale
The CIPS will be used as "diagnostic test" in the online survey.
Other Names:
  • CIPS
Diagnostic test: Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Professional
The MBI-HSS-MP will be used as "diagnostic test" in the online survey.
Other Names:
  • MBI-HSS-MP

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Impostor syndrome
Time Frame: 6 months

Describe the prevalence of and relationship between impostor syndrome in anaesthesiology residents and burnout (other outcome), as well as key socio-demographics.

A validated score will be used: the Clance impostor phenomenon scale (CIPS) which is a 20 questions on a 5-point Likert scale that investigate feelings about self-assessment of competency, praise, and success. The higher the score, more the participant is prone to impostor syndrome.
6 months
Burnout
Time Frame: 6 months

Describe the prevalence of and relationship between burnout in anaesthesiology residents and impostor syndrome (other outcome), as well as key socio-demographics.

The MBI-HSS-MP (Maslach Burnout Inventory for medical personnel) will be used. It is a scale that captures three dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment) and uses a 7-level frequency scale on 22 questions. For the domains of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, the higher the score, the more the participant is subject to burnout. For the domain of personal accomplishment, the lower the score, the more the participant is subject to burnout.
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Coping strategies used by residents regarding impostor syndrome and burnout
Time Frame: 2 years

Residents in anaesthesiology will take part in a qualitative study on the experience of burnout and impostor syndrome in anesthesiology and the coping strategies they use.

The qualitative interviews will assess how residents experience impostor syndrome and burnout and gather coping strategies they employ. A description of coping strategies will yield from analysis.
2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University Hospital, Geneva

Collaborators

Prof. Savoldelli Georges Louis

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mia Gisselbaek, MD, University Hospital, Geneva

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 3, 2023

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 29, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 23, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

October 24, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 29, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 27, 2023

Last Verified

November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2022-01782

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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