Mediating role of imposter syndrome between academic adaptability and academic resilience in outstation students

Seeking higher education outside one’s station is not an easy task, placing significant psychological demands like adaptability and resilience ensuring a successful adjustment. However, understanding the internal mechanism shaping this process remains limited. This study investigated whether imposter syndrome mediates the relationship between academic adaptability and academic resilience among outstation graduate students. a quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, data were collected from 180 Indian college students through standardized self-report measures assessing academic adaptability, imposter phenomenon and academic resilience. Correlational analysis and mediation testing using the PROCESS macro (model 4) were conducted to examine the hypothesized relationships.
Findings revealed a significant positive association between academic adaptability and academic resilience, underscoring the protective role of adaptability in helping students navigate transitional challenges. However, imposter syndrome was neither significantly related to adaptability or resilience, nor did it mediate their relationship – suggesting that it may operate independently or through alternative psychological pathways in this population.
These findings carry meaningful implications for student support, highlighting the need for institutional programs that actively strengthen adaptability skills among outstation students. Future research is encouraged to explore other potential mediators such as self- efficacy, sense of belonging, social comparison or peer relationship.