Childhood abuse and prodromal psychosis: the mediating roles of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Childhood abuse is a risk factor for psychosis and narcissism. However, the role narcissism plays in explaining the relationship between childhood abuse and psychosis has yet to be explored. The present study assessed whether grandiose narcissism and Vulnerable Narcissism (VN) explain the relationship between childhood maltreatment and prodromal psychosis. Method A sample of 697 participants aged 18 to 72 years (M = 32.22 years, SD = 10.70; 59.3% women) completed online versions of the brief version of the Prodromal Questionnaire, Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form. Results A parallel mediation analysis found that childhood abuse and prodromal psychosis were positively associated. Further, grandiose narcissism and VN partly mediated the relationship between childhood abuse/neglect and prodromal psychosis. The results showed that childhood abuse was positively associated with both grandiose narcissism and VN, and that grandiose narcissism and VN were positively associated with prodromal psychosis.