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Is Vulnerability More Important Than Grandiosity? Narcissistic Traits in Child-To-Parent Violence

Johnson, Björn LU orcid ; Andersson, Lisa LU orcid and Svensson, Robert (2026) In Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling 23(3).
Abstract (Swedish)
A growing body of research has highlighted the role of personality-related vulnerabilities in child-to-parent violence (CPV), and recent studies suggest that narcissistic traits may be one relevant factor. Yet existing research has focused almost exclusively on grandiose narcissism, while vulnerable narcissism has rarely been examined. This study investigates associations between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and three forms of CPV—verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical aggression—in a large community sample of Swedish adolescents. Gender-stratified logistic regression models were estimated, adjusting for individual and family-related factors. Vulnerable narcissism showed consistent associations with CPV, especially... (More)
A growing body of research has highlighted the role of personality-related vulnerabilities in child-to-parent violence (CPV), and recent studies suggest that narcissistic traits may be one relevant factor. Yet existing research has focused almost exclusively on grandiose narcissism, while vulnerable narcissism has rarely been examined. This study investigates associations between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and three forms of CPV—verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical aggression—in a large community sample of Swedish adolescents. Gender-stratified logistic regression models were estimated, adjusting for individual and family-related factors. Vulnerable narcissism showed consistent associations with CPV, especially among girls, where effects remained significant across all CPV forms after adjustment. Grandiose narcissism showed weak or no associations once vulnerability was controlled for. The findings suggest that CPV may be more closely linked to the emotional insecurity and sensitivity to ego threat that characterise vulnerable narcissism, and that both dimensions warrant attention in future research.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling
volume
23
issue
3
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105045614337
ISSN
1544-4767
DOI
10.1002/jip.70025
project
Child-to-parent violence - a cross-sectional study
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
3f6be754-f3cd-4047-8b72-28ab21a7acf3
date added to LUP
2026-07-31 10:44:50
date last changed
2026-08-05 13:41:00
@article{3f6be754-f3cd-4047-8b72-28ab21a7acf3,
  abstract     = {{A growing body of research has highlighted the role of personality-related vulnerabilities in child-to-parent violence (CPV), and recent studies suggest that narcissistic traits may be one relevant factor. Yet existing research has focused almost exclusively on grandiose narcissism, while vulnerable narcissism has rarely been examined. This study investigates associations between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and three forms of CPV—verbal aggression, coercive behaviour, and physical aggression—in a large community sample of Swedish adolescents. Gender-stratified logistic regression models were estimated, adjusting for individual and family-related factors. Vulnerable narcissism showed consistent associations with CPV, especially among girls, where effects remained significant across all CPV forms after adjustment. Grandiose narcissism showed weak or no associations once vulnerability was controlled for. The findings suggest that CPV may be more closely linked to the emotional insecurity and sensitivity to ego threat that characterise vulnerable narcissism, and that both dimensions warrant attention in future research.<br/><br/>}},
  author       = {{Johnson, Björn and Andersson, Lisa and Svensson, Robert}},
  issn         = {{1544-4767}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{3}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling}},
  title        = {{Is Vulnerability More Important Than Grandiosity? Narcissistic Traits in Child-To-Parent Violence}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jip.70025}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/jip.70025}},
  volume       = {{23}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}