Maladaptive Perfectionism, Impostorism, and Cognitive Distortions: Threats to the Mental Health of Pre-clinical Medical Students

Objective While medical student wellness has been a subject of recent study and discussion, current efforts may fail to address possible underlying, harmful cognitive distortions regarding academic performance. The authors sought to examine dysfunctional thoughts (maladaptive perfectionism, impostor phenomenon) and negative feelings (shame, embarrassment, inadequacy) that may contribute to poor mental health in pre-clinical medical students.