Adverse childhood experiences leading to narcissistic personality disorder: a case report
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is associated with a complex interplay of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors. In this case report, we discuss the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the development of NPD in adulthood. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report a clinical case of NPD to illustrate how ACEs, particularly physical and emotional neglect, combined with early life parental overvaluation, can impair emotional regulation and self-worth, contributing to the development of narcissistic traits. We analyse, in light of existing literature, how ACEs are associated with a wide spectrum of personality disorders, how parental overvaluation is linked to grandiose narcissism, and how childhood neglect and abuse are associated with vulnerable narcissism. CONCLUSION: ACEs are the primary risk factor for the development of NPD in adulthood. Dysfunctional household environments and parenting practices compound the association between ACEs and pathological narcissism. It is important to address childhood trauma for the prevention and treatment of NPD. Further research is necessary to clarify how individual factors influence the relationship between ACEs and pathological narcissism.
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PN is strongly associated with a history of child maltreatment, particularly neglect.
“Strongly associated with a history of child maltreatment, particularly neglect (47–49)”
From Psychoanalytically informed MDMA-assisted therapy for pathological narcissism: a novel theoretical approach (2025) · cites this paper as [48]
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- Authors
- Ross, A. G., Giri, S., Anyasodor, A. E., Mahmood, S., Astawesegn, F. H., Huda, M. M., Ahmed, K. Y., Mondal, U. K., & Thapa, S.
- Affiliations
- Charles Sturt University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Ross, Allen G.
- ORCID
- Venue
- BMC Psychiatry
- Published
- 2024-11-22
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 842-842
- ISSN
- 1471-244X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11583436
- OpenAlex
- W4404615770
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3
- FWCI
- 3.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Charles Sturt University Research Output (CRO) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- narcissistic personality disorder, adverse childhood experiences, physical neglect, emotional neglect, grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, childhood trauma, emotion regulation, self-worth, parenting practices, childhood abuse
- MeSH terms
- Adverse Childhood Experiences, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Narcissism, Personality Disorders
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