Team Psychological Safety Atmosphere and Professional Identity Among New Nurses in China: The Mediating Role of Impostor Phenomenon

Background: New nurses face the psychological challenge of low professional identity, which affects team stability and care quality. Exploring the underlying mechanisms can provide a theoretical basis for targeted interventions. Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship among team psychological safety atmosphere, impostor phenomenon, and professional identity among new nurses. It also examines whether impostor phenomenon mediates the relationship between team psychological safety atmosphere and professional identity. Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 262 new nurses via convenience sampling from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, China, during March–April 2026. Instruments included demographic form, Team Psychological Safety Atmosphere Scale, Impostor Phenomenon Scale, and Professional Identity Scale. Mediation was analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and Process Model 4. Results: In this study, the total score for the team psychological safety atmosphere among new nurses was (60.63 ± 7.26) points, the total score for the Impostor phenomenon was (53.27 ± 11.26) points, and the total score for professional identity was (106.26 ± 14.16) points. The team psychological safety atmosphere positively correlated with professional identity (r = 0.557, P < 0.01) and negatively with Impostor phenomenon (r = − 0.437, P < 0.01); Impostor phenomenon negatively correlated with professional identity (r = − 0.371, P < 0.01). Impostor phenomenon mediated the relationship (β = 0.0718, 95% CI = 0.0161– 0.1361), accounting for 12.39% of the total effect. Conclusion: New nurses’ team psychological safety atmosphere, Impostor phenomenon, and professional identity were at moderate levels. The team psychological safety atmosphere positively predicted professional identity and negatively predicted Impostor phenomenon, which negatively predicted professional identity. Impostor phenomenon mediated the relationship between team psychological safety atmosphere and professional identity. Impact: Nursing managers should focus on enhancing team psychological safety atmosphere and reducing the impostor phenomenon among new nurses, thereby playing a key role in their professional identity.