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Retrospective reports of attachment disruptions, parental abuse and neglect mediate the relationship between pathological narcissism and self‐esteem
Author(s) -
Maxwell Kendal,
Huprich Steven
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
personality and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1932-863X
pISSN - 1932-8621
DOI - 10.1002/pmh.1269
Subject(s) - narcissism , neglect , psychology , pathological , self esteem , egocentrism , child abuse , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , injury prevention , poison control , psychiatry , medicine , medical emergency , pathology
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. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.