Measuring Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism in Children and Adolescents: The Narcissism Scale for Children.

Abstract

Clinical and empirical research have consistently distinguished two dimensions of narcissism: grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism. However, to date there is no psychometrically validated measure of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism for children. A measure that assesses both expressions of narcissism in children and adolescents is necessary to understand the causes and consequences of narcissistic self-views prior to adulthood. In this article, four studies are presented documenting the construction and psychometric properties of a 15-item Narcissism Scale for Children, adapted from the (adult) Narcissism Scale. Partial confirmatory factor analysis supported two dimensions of narcissism in children (Study 1) and adolescents (Study 4), with evidence for good validity and reliability (Studies 1-4). As in adults, trait narcissism in children and adolescents consists of both grandiose and vulnerable dimensions. Enabling the measurement of multidimensional narcissism prior to adulthood has important implications for narcissism theory and future research.