Hubungan Impostor Syndrome Dengan Harga Diri Situasional: Sebuah Studi Potong Lintang pada Mahasiswa Baru Program Sarjana Keperawatan

Abstract

New students often experience a challenging transition at the beginning of university life as they adjust to new academic demands and changing roles. This transition may trigger psychological difficulties, including impostor syndrome, a condition characterized by persistent feelings of unworthiness despite one’s achievements. Such experiences may negatively affect situational self-esteem, which refers to self-evaluation that changes depending on context and personal experiences. Therefore, examining situational self-esteem during the early transition to university is important. This study aimed to examine the relationship between impostor syndrome  and situational self-esteem among first-yearstudents during the early transition period of university life. A quantitative study with a descriptive cross-sectional correlational design was conducted over 16 days, from December 11 to 27, 2025. The population consisted of all first-year students in the Faculty of Nursing, class of 2025, at a public university in Indonesia, with a total sample of 253 students (participation rate: 96.9%). Data were collected using the Indonesian versions of the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) and the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES), both of which had been tested for validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation test were used for data analysis. The findings showed that (48.6%) of students experienced severe or frequent impostor syndrome while (47.0%) had moderate situational self-esteem. A moderate negative correlation was found between impostor syndrome and situational self-esteem among new students (r = -0.478; p < 0.001). These results indicate that higher levels of impostor syndrome are associated with lower situational self-esteem and vice versa