You are worth it: Social support buffered the relation between impostor syndrome and suicidal ideation

Abstract

Suicide has become one of the most important causes of death among college students, and thus it is essential to explore its risk factors and interventions. In this study, we investigated the effect of impostor syndrome on suicidal ideation and its mechanisms. A sample of 1,897 Chinese college students participated in the study (57.1% females; Mage = 19.92; SD = 1.50) and completed a series of related questionnaires at two time points with a six-month interval in the context of COVID-19. The results showed that impostor syndrome positively predicted suicidal ideation, and depressive symptoms mediated this effect. In addition, both family support and friend support weakened the prediction of depressive symptoms by impostor syndrome, but only family support weakened the prediction of suicidal ideation by depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that impostor syndrome may lead to serious consequences, but social support could be an effective intervention.