Comparison of pathological narcissism and its dimensions in people with substance use disorders with non-clinical people

Abstract

Introduction: Pathological narcissism is a sophisticated psychological construct that has two dimensions i.e. grandiosity and vulnerability. Substance use disorders have been related to grandiosity in the literature, but their relationship with vulnerability have not been well known Aim: The aim of this study was to compare pathological narcissism and its dimensions in people with substance use disorders with non-clinical individuals. Method: The research design was analytic-cross sectional study with ex-post facto (comparative) procedure. The statistical population included all people with substance use disorders who had referred to the addiction clinic of Roozbeh Hospital in Tehran from June to January 2019. The sample consisted of 93 people with substance use disorders and 92 people from non-clinical population who were included in the study by convenience sampling method. Both groups completed the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test, the Pathological Narcissism Inventory & the General Health Questionnaire (for screening in non-clinical population). Data were analyzed using two-way and one-way analysis of variances and Spearmen correlation coefficient in SPSS-24. Results: People with substance use disorders had significantly higher scores in pathological narcissism‌ and its dimensions compared to the non-clinical group (P<0.001). Spearman correlation coefficient between the variables of addiction severity and pathological narcissism (p<0.001), grandiose narcissism (p<0.001) and vulnerable narcissism (p<0.001) were significant and positive. Conclusion: The present study highlighted the importance of evaluation and treatment planning for pathological narcissism especially vulnerability domain in substance use disorders.

Keywords

• pathological narcissism
• substance use disorders
• grandiosity
• vulnerability