Do I Really Belong Here? An Exploration of Impostor Syndrome in Backcountry Users

Abstract

Introduction

The aim of this investigation was to gain understanding on the prevalence of impostor syndrome within the backcountry avalanche environment and further explore the associations of impostor syndrome and various demographics.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of a larger dataset collected from winter backcountry recreational users. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey disseminated between January 2025 and February 2025 by the Utah Avalanche Center.

Results

A total of 361 participants were included in the final analysis. Overall, 87.9% of the respondents indicated moderate or higher levels of impostor syndrome symptoms. We also identified a negative association between impostor syndrome and age but found no meaningful associations between impostor syndrome and gender, income, experience, education, risk-taking behavior, or expertise within this backcountry user population.

Conclusions

The results of our study suggest that impostor syndrome is present across this study population and that the symptoms of impostor syndrome are pervasive across various demographic factors. They also demonstrate that as age increases within this population, impostor syndrome symptoms decrease. The results are limited by the single-site cross-sectional study design. Thus, future work should aim to expand on generalizability.