Yuan Li ^1* Xinrui Qiufang ² Biru Luo ¹ Yanling Hu ¹ Jie Li ³ Yingxin Li ¹ Ping He ⁴ Jinbo Fang ³

• ¹ West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
• ² Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
• ³ West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
• ⁴ The People's Hospital of Jianyang City, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Aims: The study aims to explore the relationship between impostor phenomenon and emotional exhaustion among nurses and to examine the potential mediating role of bi-directional work-family conflict. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was conducted from January to April 2023, involving 4088 Chinese nurses. Of those, 3977 nurses across 43 public hospitals completed the web-based survey that included a sociodemographic information questionnaire, the short Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, the Bi-directional Scale of Work-Family Conflict, and the Emotional Exhaustion Scale. SPSS with Hayes’s PROCESS v4.2 Macro was employed to examine the mediation model using bootstrap techniques. Results: After controlling for confounding factors, impostor phenomenon was found to have a direct positive effect on emotional exhaustion (𝛽 = 0.134, 95% CI [0.122 to 0.145]); the two dimensions of work-family conflict, work interfering with family (𝛽 = 0.099, 95% CI [0.090 to 0.109]) and family interfering with work (𝛽 = 0.017, 95% CI [0.012 to 0.022]), served as parallel mediators in the relationship between impostor phenomenon and emotional exhaustion. Compared to family interfering with work, impostor phenomenon had a greater influence on emotional exhaustion through the mediation of work interfering with family, with a difference in the mediating effects of 0.082 (95% CI [0.073 to 0.096]). (The symbol β denotes the regression coefficient, estimated through mediation analysis using a bias-corrected bootstrapping procedure. CI represents the confidence interval for the specified parameter). Conclusion: This study reveals that impostor phenomenon not only directly affects emotional exhaustion but also exerts parallel mediation effects through bi-directional work-family conflict, with work interfering with family exerting a stronger mediating effect than family interfering with work. The findings elucidate the complex interplay between impostor phenomenon, an intrapersonal psychological factor, and work-family conflict, an interpersonal stressor, in contributing to emotional exhaustion among Chinese nurses, providing valuable insights to guide efforts aimed at safeguarding nurses’ mental health and well-being.