Abstract

Impostorism is characterized by feelings of self-doubt and phoniness regarding one’s abilities and achievements, despite one’s history of success. Previous research has demonstrated a link between impostorism and perceived parental support (PPS), such that higher degrees of parental care were associated with lower imposter feelings. Our research examined the relationship between impostorism and PPS among first-generation college students (FGCS), a population shown to be more vulnerable to impostorism. Additionally, we investigated whether gender moderates the link between impostorism and PPS. A total of 503 FGCS at Binghamton University were included in the study. The results revealed a significant negative correlation between impostorism and PPS, such that students perceiving higher levels of parental support were associated with lower levels of impostorism. Additionally, the results revealed that the relationship between impostorism and PPS did not differ as a function of gender. Practical and theoretical implications of our findings will be discussed.