The Role of Narcissistic Admiration in the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Mental Health Outcomes

Žujović, Anja and Jovanović, Veljko (2022) The Role of Narcissistic Admiration in the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Mental Health Outcomes. In: Current challenges in psychological science: 18th International Conference Days of Applied Psychology 2022, Niš, Serbia, September 23rd-24th 2022. book of abstracts. University of Niš, Faculty of Philosophy, Niš, p. 136. ISBN 978-86-7379-605-5

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Abstract

Research findings on the mental health benefits of narcissism have been inconsistent. The present study examined the protective role of narcissistic admiration (NARC - The Narcissistic Admirаtion and Rivalry Concept) at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Using hierarchical regression analysis, two hypotheses were tested: Hypothesis 1 – predicting the protective role of narcissism (Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire Short Scale) between perceived stress (Percieved Stress Scale 4) and general well-being (Mental Health Continuum - Short Form), and Hypothesis 2 – predicting the protective role of narcissism between perceived stress and anxiety (Six-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). The sample consisted of 744 participants from Serbia (age range 18-67; M = 25.00; SD = 9.57), with 439 males and 335 females. Narcissistic admiration was positively correlated with general well-being (r = .21, p < .01), and negatively correlated with anxiety (r = - .09, p < .01). The results did not support the moderating role of narcissistic admiration in the perceived stress and general well-being relationship (β = .053, p > .05). Contrary to our expectations, individuals reporting higher levels of stress, while scoring high on narcissistic admiration showed more symptoms of anxiety than those scoring lower (β = .073, p < .01). In other words, narcissistic admiration proved to be a vulnerability factor. Despite both hypotheses being rejected, results are in line with previous findings that emphasize the role of sense of agency in reducing distress among individuals high on narcissistic admiration. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings will be discussed.

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