Impostor phenomenon among Black undergraduates: Contributions of microaggressions, gender, and school belonging.

Objectives: Racial microaggressions at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) are a major concern for Black undergraduates because these experiences evoke feelings of "otherness" and may contribute to growing impostor phenomenon beliefs (IP)-feelings of intellectual fraudulence where people question their academic abilities. School belonging (i.e., a sense of connection to one's academic institution) may be an important mediating factor that explains how racial microaggressions contribute to greater IP over time. Furthermore, these effects may be distinct for Black men and women, given their unique experiences at PWIs.

Method: The current longitudinal study utilizes moderated-mediation analyses to examine these effects among 269 Black undergraduates (M_age = 19.71, SD = 2.36, 72% female) over a full academic year at a PWI.

Results: Findings indicate that racial microaggressions indirectly predicted increased IP over a 1-year period through a negative association with schools belonging to Black men but not for Black women.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of gender and school belonging when examining how racial stressors contribute to changes in IP beliefs. Implications for theory and policy recommendations for educators and stakeholders are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).