The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) in Transitional Post-War Croatia: Psychometric and Cultural Considerations

Scarcity of research on psychological or psychiatric states using validated questionnaires in low- and middle-income countries: A ChatGPT-assisted bibliometric analysis and national case study on some psychometric properties

Background

It is vital to assess whether research on psychological or psychiatric states using validated questionnaires is still lagging in low- and middle-income countries and to what degree, and to continue to assess the psychometric properties of the most informative questionnaires.

Methods

We performed a bibliometric analysis of Web of Science Core Collection for all years to determine the number of studies performed in each country that used an inventory or a questionnaire on aggression, anxiety, depression, borderline personality, narcissism, self-harm, shame, or childhood trauma. We conducted a simple observational analysis of distributions by countries to derive the main overall conclusions, assisted by ChatGPT to test its ability to summarise and interpret this type of information. We also carried out a study in Croatia to examine some psychometric properties of five commonly used questionnaires, using Cronbach's α coefficient and zero-order correlations.

Results

We observed a concentration of research activity in a few high-income countries, primarily the United States and several European nations, suggesting a robust research infrastructure and a strong emphasis on studying psychological and psychiatric states within their population. In contrast, low- and middle-income countries were notably under-represented in research on psychological and psychiatric states, although the gap seems to be closing in some countries. Turkey, Iran, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, India, Malaysia and Pakistan have been consistently contributing an increasing number of studies and catching up with the most research-intensive high-income countries. The national case study in Croatia confirmed adequate psychometric properties of the most frequently used questionnaires.

Conclusions

Addressing research gaps in low- and middle-income countries is crucial, because relying solely on research from high-income countries may not fully capture the nuances of psychological and psychiatric states within diverse populations. To bridge this gap, it is essential to prioritise mental health research in low-resource settings, provide training and resources to local researchers, and establish international collaborations. Such efforts can lead to the development of culturally valid questionnaires, an improved understanding of psychological and psychiatric states in diverse contexts, and the creation of effective interventions to promote mental well-being on a global scale.

Measurement Invariance of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory and Multimethod Examination of Narcissistic Presentations in Community and Clinical Samples

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is extensively used in recent empirical literature on pathological narcissism. However, most studies using the PNI are community-based, and no studies have used the PNI to investigate narcissistic presentations in personality disordered patients. This study investigates measurement invariance of the PNI in community participants and patients with personality disorders, and examines differences of narcissistic presentations in these samples through a multimethod approach. Results show that the PNI can be used reliably to measure and compare traits of pathological narcissism in community participants and patients with personality disorders. Personality disordered patients show higher traits reflecting vulnerable narcissism and overt manifestations of grandiose narcissism, compared with controls. Finally, network analysis indicates that traits of grandiose fantasies and entitlement rage have a central role in defining manifestations of PNI pathological narcissism, regardless of the presence of an underlying personality disorder. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Validation of the pathological narcissistic inventory (PNI) and its brief form (B-PNI) in the Arabic language

BACKGROUND

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is a multidimensional measure developed to assess narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability. We aimed to validate the Arabic version of the original Pathological Narcissistic Inventory (PNI) and its brief form (B-PNI) in a community sample of Lebanese adults.

METHODS

The English language PNI items were translated into Arabic following a rigorous translation, back-translation, and linguistic evaluation. A total of 401 participants were administered the translated PNI, as well as previously validated Arabic versions of the Big Five Inventory-2, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Impulsivity-8 Scale.

RESULTS

Exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported the existence of seven first-order and two second-order factors of the PNI and B-PNI. Except for exploitativeness where females scored lower than males, no other significant differences by gender were observed for the remaining PNI subscale scores. Additionally, scores on all the subscales exhibited good reliability, while the associations with external measures supported the concurrent validity of the translated instrument.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study suggest that scores on the PNI and B-PNI are highly reliable with satisfactory concurrent and factorial validity, providing an assessment of broadly defined pathological narcissism among the Lebanese young adult population. The availability of the Arabic PNI and its brief form should facilitate improved understanding of pathological narcissism in Arabic cultures and the different factors that govern narcissistic personality pathology.

Grandiosity, vulnerability, and narcissistic fluctuation: Examining reliability, measurement invariance, and construct validity of four brief narcissism measures

Continued interest in the distinction between grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism and the fluctuation between grandiose and vulnerable states has expanded the repertoire of self-report instruments. The present study examined the psychometric properties of four brief narcissism measures [the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-13 (NPI-13), Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS), Super-Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI), and the g-FLUX] in a Finnish sample of university students. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the reliability of the NPI-13, g-FLUX, SB-PNI Vulnerability, and two HSNS subfactors (Oversensitivity and Egocentrism). Tests of measurement invariance indicated the NPI-13, SB-PNI Vulnerability, HSNS Oversensitivity, and the g-FLUX perform similarly between males and females and are generally similar between individuals in younger and older age groups. Construct and predictive validity were evaluated by examining relations between narcissism measures and relevant criteria including psychopathology symptoms, self-esteem, well-being, five factor traits, and empathy. Results supported the construct validity of all four measures, while correlational profiles highlighted the convergence between the g-FLUX and measures of both grandiosity and vulnerability. The NPI-13 was most predictive of NPD symptoms, whereas vulnerable narcissism measures were most predictive of psychopathology. Results further establish the psychometric properties of the NPI-13, SB-PNI Vulnerability, HSNS Oversensitivity, Egocentrism, and provide new validation of the g-FLUX.

It's Not That Great Anymore: The Central Role of Defense Mechanisms in Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism

Objectives: The concept of narcissism contains a yet unresolved paradox: Its grandiose facet depicts the psychopathological core but is often associated with life-satisfaction and overall functioning, whereas its vulnerable facet is associated with psychological distress, but still not included in the international classification systems. Our goal was to investigate the relationship between the two facets of narcissism expecting underlying defense mechanisms to be core elements. First, we aimed to identify defense mechanisms specific to grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Second, we explored how both facets are differentially associated with psychological distress, assuming that grandiose narcissism would be associated with less psychological distress than vulnerable narcissism. Third, we investigated the mediating role of defense mechanisms between narcissism and psychological distress. Methods: In a non-clinical sample of N = 254 individuals, the Pathological Narcissism Inventory was used for the assessment of grandiose and vulnerable facets of narcissism, the Defense Style Questionnaire for defense mechanisms, and the Brief Symptom Inventory for psychological distress. Structural equation modeling was employed to identify distinct factors of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Associations between specific defense mechanisms and both facets were calculated. Furthermore, the direct association between both facets and psychological distress was examined. We finally explored whether defense mechanisms mediate the association between distress and both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Results: A distinct pattern of defense mechanisms for each facet of narcissism could be extracted: Both facets showed significant positive correlations with specific intermediate and all maladaptive defense mechanisms. Only grandiose narcissism showed significant positive correlations with adaptive defenses. Vulnerable narcissism showed negative correlations with all adaptive defenses. Specifically, grandiose narcissism was significantly related to anticipation, pseudo-altruism, rationalization, and dissociation, whereas vulnerable narcissism was negatively related to all these defense mechanisms. While grandiose narcissism was not related to psychological distress, vulnerable narcissism showed high correlations with psychological distress. Intriguingly, mediator analysis found that grandiose narcissism was related to psychological distress when mediated by maladaptive defense mechanisms. Discussion: The role of defense mechanisms is central for a differentiated understanding of the two different faces of narcissism. The relevance of assessing defense mechanisms in clinical settings, and related empirical findings are discussed.

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory Short Form: Narcissism as a Multidimensional Trait in the United Kingdom and Russia

Research on narcissism supports a multifactorial structure with each factor to be multidimensional. However, studies typically assess 1 factor of narcissism using scales such as the Short Dark Triad (SD3). The Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory and its short form (FFNI-SF) were developed recently to account for this issue. The extent to which the FFNI-SF assesses equivalent constructs across countries has, nonetheless, received little attention. This study evaluated the factor structure of the FFNI-SF in a Russian sample (N = 1,996) and compared the results with those derived from a UK sample (N = 1,292). Overall, the FFNI-SF evidenced satisfactory internal consistency (mean α = .82 and .79 for the Russian and UK sample for the factors of Antagonism, Extraversion and Neuroticism, respectively). Additionally, analyses yielded a 3-component model in both samples similar to that reported in the original validation study, which also demonstrated meaningful correlations with the SD3. Finally, Antagonism demonstrated significant differences between the 2 samples, perhaps reflecting societal differences between Russia and the United Kingdom. The study highlights the importance of using psychometrically sound measures to assess narcissism in its complexity and the need for additional research on how this trait operates within the personality sphere and across cultures.

I deserve more A's: A report on the development of a measure of academic entitlement

This paper reports the results of a multi-stage effort to develop a measure of Academic Entitlement. An empirical/rational approach was taken to develop items and reduce the item set for a final version of the Academic Entitlement Scale (AES). The measure includes seven dimensions: Accommodation, Reward for Effort, Responsibility Avoidance, Grade Haggling, Customer Orientation, Customer Service Expectations, and General Academic Entitlement. Fit, using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, for the seven-factor correlated model and a bifactor model including General AE and the six specific factors, was good. The full measure is reported along with descriptive statistics for the scale and preliminary validation evidence.

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory: Measurement Invariance Across Serbian and USA Samples and Further Validation

Abstract. The aim of this research was to explore measurement invariance across samples from Serbia and the USA (Study 1) and to further validate the Serbian adaptation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory – PNI (Study 2). The results supported the original seven-factor first-order structure as well as the hierarchical structure of the PNI with Narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability as the second-order factors. Further, scalar invariance between the two versions of the PNI was achieved. Relations between Narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability and other measures of grandiose and hypersensitive narcissism supported the validity of their scores. Among HEXACO traits, both Narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability showed substantial negative correlations with Honesty-Humility. The main distinctions between the two aspects of narcissism lie in the positive relations with Neuroticism and negative relations with self-esteem, both of which are higher for Narcissistic vulnerability. The results support good psychometric properties of the PNI scores and add to the PNI’s cross-cultural validity.

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View

Objective: Whilst the relationship between narcissism and self-esteem has been studied for a long time, findings are still controversial. The majority of studies investigated narcissistic grandiosity (NG), neglecting the existence of vulnerable manifestations of narcissism. Moreover, recent studies have shown that grandiosity traits are not always associated with inflated explicit self-esteem. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, distinguishing between grandiosity and vulnerability. Moreover, we consider the role of implicit self-esteem in qualifying these associations.

Method: Narcissistic traits, explicit and implicit self-esteem measures were assessed among 120 university students (55.8% women, M_age = 22.55, SD = 3.03).

Results: Results showed different patterns of association between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, depending on phenotypic manifestations of narcissism. Narcissistic vulnerability (NV) was linked to low explicit self-evaluations regardless of one’s levels of implicit self-esteem. On the other hand, the link between NG and explicit self-esteem was qualified by levels of implicit self-views, such that grandiosity was significantly associated with inflated explicit self-evaluations only at either high or medium levels of implicit self-views.

Discussion: These findings showed that the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem is not univocal, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between NG and NV. Finally, the study suggested that both researchers and clinicians should consider the relevant role of implicit self-views in conditioning self-esteem levels reported explicitly by individuals with grandiose narcissistic traits.

Narcissistic Vulnerability and Addiction

The main body of research on addiction and pathological narcissism has focused on the study of their co-occurrence by applying Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM) definitions for these clinical phenomena or by assessing trait narcissism in substance-dependent populations. Clinically informed comprehensive conceptualizations of narcissism which focus on its phenomenological range from vulnerability to grandiosity have not been applied in studying the specific narcissistic disturbances that underlie the relationship between these comorbid conditions. Aiming to examine this relationship, this study compared the presence of pathological narcissism, and more specifically narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability, in substance-dependent individuals in treatment with individuals from the general population. Comparisons indicate that substance-dependent individuals experience significant narcissistic disturbances more likely related to vulnerability than grandiosity. Shame, rage, and self-esteem contingent upon external validation comprise the intrapsychic and interpersonal vulnerability. Implications for the clinical conceptualization of pathological narcissism as well as for substance dependence treatment interventions are discussed.

Expanding the Nomological Net of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory: German Validation and Extension in a Clinical Inpatient Sample

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is a multidimensional measure for assessing grandiose and vulnerable features in narcissistic pathology. The aim of the present research was to construct and validate a German translation of the PNI and to provide further information on the PNI's nomological net. Findings from a first study confirm the psychometric soundness of the PNI and replicate its seven-factor first-order structure. A second-order structure was also supported but with several equivalent models. A second study investigating associations with a broad range of measures ( DSM Axis I and II constructs, emotions, personality traits, interpersonal and dysfunctional behaviors, and well-being) supported the concurrent validity of the PNI. Discriminant validity with the Narcissistic Personality Inventory was also shown. Finally, in a third study an extension in a clinical inpatient sample provided further evidence that the PNI is a useful tool to assess the more pathological end of narcissism.