RESUMO
Introduction: The prevalence of impostor syndrome among PhD students has increased rapidly in recent years, having very negative effects on their mental and psychological health as well as on their doctoral journey. This exploratory study aims to examine whether there is a causal correlation between impostor syndrome among PhD students and empathy among supervisors. Methods: This study encompasses 562 doctoral students (300 females, 262 males) and 152 Tunisian supervisors (68 females, 84 males). Results: Employing ANOVA, significant influences on impostor syndrome emerge for gender, marital status, professional status, and the doctoral enrollment level (p < 0.001). Concurrently, supervisors' empathy is significantly affected by gender, marital status, and experience (p < 0.001). Linear regression establishes a noteworthy negative correlation (p = 0.045): a 1-unit increase in empathy correlates with a 0.122-unit decrease in impostor syndrome. Discussion: These findings underscore the intricate relationship between socio-professional factors, empathy, and impostor syndrome within the academic milieu, offering crucial insights for interventions and psychological support. The study aligns with the broader context of understanding mental health challenges in academia, emphasizing the imperative for ongoing support initiatives.
RESUMO
This study has combed and analyzed the characteristics of medical doctoral supervisors and the enrollment status from 2015 to 2018 in Tongji University School of Medicine. The results show that the distribution of doctoral supervisors' age, gender and professional title is relatively balanced. The enrollment situation shows the clustering trend. There are obvious differences in enrollment among clinical medical disciplines, and the scales of doctoral supervisors and doctoral students are not matched and unevenly distributed. It is essential to give an overall consideration in discipline resources and optimize enrollment allocation, for improving the construction of doctoral supervisors and the quality of doctoral training.