The relationship between childhood maltreatment and narcissistic dimensions across healthy and clinical populations

Background Narcissistic dimensions are partly shaped by genetic and non-shared environmental factors, yet the ways in which childhood maltreatment (CM) relates to narcissistic admiration and rivalry remain poorly understood. Despite the relevance of both CM and narcissistic dimensions for mental health, it remains unclear whether - and how - the association between CM and narcissism differs across clinical and non-clinical populations. Methods Data were drawn from five cohorts ( N = 2157), including healthy controls ( N = 418) and a transdiagnostic clinical sample ( N = 1739) primarily with Major Depressive Disorder, alongside schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar, and stress-related disorders. Narcissism was assessed with the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ), CM with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Cross-sectional linear regression models tested associations between narcissistic traits and CM, controlling for depression severity. Results Across the total sample, narcissistic rivalry was positively associated with CM (B = 0.108, p < .001), and admiration was negatively associated (B = −0.130, p < .001), both with small effect sizes. Subgroup analyses showed consistent negative associations of admiration with CM in both groups, while rivalry associations were weaker in clinical populations. Emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect were most consistently linked to higher rivalry and lower admiration. Conclusion CM is linked to lower narcissistic admiration across populations and to higher narcissistic rivalry in healthy individuals, highlighting differential associations with narcissistic trait dimensions.