Abstract:

Objective To explore the mediating role of learning motivation between imposter phenomenon and academic burnout among nursing graduate students. Methods From November 2024 to December 2024，nursing postgraduates from four universities in Southwest China were investigated with the general information questionnaire，Academic Burnout Scale for Postgraduates，Learning Motivation Scale and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale. Results The scores of academic burnout，imposter phenomenon，and learning motivation of 434 nursing graduate students were 57.27 ± 15.05，52.00（43.75，60.00），and 56.50（48.75，67.00），respectively. Correlation analysis showed that learning motivation was negatively correlated with imposter phenomenon and academic burnout（r=-0.541，P<0.001；r=-0.609，P<0.001），while imposter phenomenon was positively correlated with academic burnout（r=0.600，P<0.001）. The structural equation model indicated that imposter phenomenon could directly affect academic burnout（direct effect value was 0.407，95%CI：0.250-0.579），and could also indirectly influence academic burnout through learning motivation（indirect effect value was 0.312，95%CI：0.212-0.446），accounting for 43.4% of the total effect. Conclusion Learning motivation plays a partial mediating role between imposter phenomenon and academic burnout among nursing graduate students. Nursing educators and managers can start from adjusting learning motivation and reducing imposter phenomenon to ultimately lower the academic burnout of nursing graduate students.

Key words: Nursing graduate students, Academic burnout, Learning motivation, Imposter phenomenon, Mediating effect