Retrospective reports of attachment disruptions, parental abuse and neglect mediate the relationship between pathological narcissism and self-esteem

Abstract

Studies have shown a direct relationship between pathological narcissism and self-esteem; however, there have not been many studies that have empirically tested which theoretically relevant variables mediate this relationship. In the present study, we evaluated how self-reported, early negative childhood experiences with parental figures mediate the relationship between pathological narcissism and self-esteem. Four-hundred eight-five undergraduates from a Midwestern university retrospectively assessed their experiences of parental attachment and bonding, as well as their levels of pathological narcissism and current self-esteem. There was a significant correlation among all pathological narcissism subscales and self-esteem, except for the Exploitativeness subscale. Self-esteem was negatively correlated with all negative childhood experiences on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and was positively correlated with positive childhood experiences on the Parental Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ). The parental relationship quality was negatively associated with all but one Pathological Narcissism Inventory subscale, as was the PAQ total score. Lastly, emotional neglect on the CTQ significantly mediated the relationship between several pathological narcissism subscales and self-esteem. When investigating parental attachment and parental bonding, the quality of the relationship with the parent was a significant mediator between pathological narcissism and self-esteem. These findings demonstrate the importance of understanding the adverse effects of parental abuse and neglect on healthy development of the self and self-esteem. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Pathological Narcissism in Adolescents: Relationships with Childhood Maltreatment and Internalizing and Externalizing Difficulties

“…For girls, neglectful parenting involving antipathy, psychological abuse and neglect, and also the experiences of physical or sexual abuse, was significantly positively correlated with vulnerable and grandiose narcissism. These findings extend and nuance previous findings linking pathological narcissism in adults with parental indifference (Otway & Vignoles, 2006) and abuse and neglect (Maxwell & Huprich, 2014), as well as findings linking personality disorders like borderline personality disorder with physical and sexual abuse (Fossati, Madeddu, & Maffei, 1999;Waxman, Fenton, Skodol, Grant, & Hasin 2013;Zanarini et al, 1997). Curiously, these relations were only observed in girls, suggesting that girls are more vulnerable to the effect of inadequate parenting on the developing self.…”

“…There is some evidence of an association between narcissism in adults and childhood maltreatment (Cater, Zeigler-Hill, & Vonk, 2011;Maxwell & Huprich, 2014), but also with the other extreme of excessive parental admiration (Otway & Vignoles, 2006).…”

“…There is a paucity of empirical data on pathological narcissism during adolescence and a lag in research on personality disorders in youth relative to adults (Barry & Wallace, 2010). Maltreatment is a known risk factor for the development of pathological narcissism (Cater, Zeigler-Hill, & Vonk, 2011;Maxwell & Huprich, 2014), as well as other personality disorders (Besser, Zeigler-Hill, Pincus, & Neria, 2013;Bifulco, Bernazzani, Moran, & Jacobs, 2005;Chiesa & Fonagy, 2014;Johnson, Cohen, Brown, Smailes, & Bernstein, 1999), but this is understudied in adolescents (Mechanic & Barry, 2014). Research has largely focused on adaptive and grandiose narcissism in adolescents considering that narcissism may include personality traits that are advantageous under certain circumstances (Jankowiak-Siuda, & Zajkowski, 2013).…”

Narcissistic traits in young people: understanding the role of parenting and maltreatment

“…Findings for parental care and childhood maltreatment in relation to narcissism have been mixed in previous studies (see e.g. [25,27,29,[74][75][76]). The role of care and childhood maltreatment may therefore be more nuanced.…”

What are The Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms among Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Cambodia?

“…Consequently, this may lead to the manifestation of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and unipolar and bipolar depression [6,7]. Moreover, ACEs have been found to be associated with lower selfesteem in early adulthood, and lower well-being or clinical disorder later in life [8,9]. In addition, ACEs have also been linked to early alcohol initiation and ever using alcohol during adolescence [10].…”