Evaluation of Fear of Failure and Self-Inadequacy among Medical Faculty Students in Transition to Clinical Practice

Fear of Failure and Self-Inadequacy in the Transition to the Clinic

Abstract

Fear of failure has numerous detrimental effects, such as higher levels of anxiety, self-doubt and lower self-evaluation. In the impostor phenomenon, successful individuals tend to disregard objective evidence of their abilities by failing to internalize their success, explaining it in terms of external variables and fearing that this will be revealed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fear of failure and self-perception of inadequacy in the transition to the clinic in 3rd year students of a medical faculty. The study was cross-sectional and was conducted with 217 students, 178 from the Turkish program and 39 from the English program. Analyses were performed using SPSS 30 program. The mean score of the students on the CIPS scale was 42.2±14.8. The score of Turkish medical students was 40.3±14.5, while the score of English medical students was significantly higher at 50.5±13.7 (p<0.001). Females were significantly higher than males (p:0,019), those whose physical activity frequency was at most 30 minutes per week were significantly higher than those whose physical activity frequency was 4-6 hours per week (p:0,008), those who had chronic/psychiatric diseases were significantly higher than those who did not (p:0,018), those who rated health services in Turkey as 'fair' were significantly higher than those who rated them as 'bad/very bad' (p: 0.014), those who regretted their choice of medical faculty were significantly higher than those who did not (p: 0.016), and those whose monthly income was less than 4250 TL had significantly higher scale scores than those whose monthly income was between 4250-8500 TL and more than 8500 TL (p<0.05). Those who stated that they were ‘much/too much' afraid of all clinical skills and situations except performing CPR and getting an infection scored higher on the scale (p<0.05). Fears of 'failure' experienced during the transition to the clinical period may cause a feeling of inadequacy and uncertainty in the formation of professional identity. It is important to support students not only cognitively but also psychologically and socially in order to sustain their professional satisfaction and academic performance. In particular, high-risk individuals (female students, those with chronic diseases, low-income groups) should be supported with targeted programs. Policies that reinforce gender equality, such as anti-discrimination awareness trainings, can help female students develop their professional identities in a healthy way. As promoting protective factors such as regular physical activity can be beneficial for mental health, universities should expand sports and healthy living programs accessible to students.