How do parental rearing behaviors relate to hostile attributions manifested by adolescents? The mediating role of narcissistic vulnerability.

Abstract

Background: Hostile attributions of intent are linked to externalizing and internalizing problems in children and adolescents. Maladaptive parenting practices are believed to contribute to developing a hostile attributional style. However, there is limited empirical research on this topic. Similarly, research on narcissism often considers the impact of parent-child experiences, but there is a research gap concerning parenting behaviors and facets of narcissism development.

Participants and procedure: To address these gaps, we conducted a study with 268 teenagers (134 females) aged between 12 and 17 years. Our main goal was to investigate whether maladaptive parenting practices and two facets of vulnerable narcissism are associated with hostile attributions in adolescents. Additionally, based on previous literature, we tested whether narcissistic vulnerability and antagonism mediate the relationship between parental rearing behaviors and hostile attributions in teenagers.

Results: Our results revealed positive associations among all variables of interest. Importantly, we found that narcissistic vulnerability, but not antagonism, played a significant mediating role between maladaptive parenting practices and adolescents' hostile attributional style.

Conclusions: By shedding light on the mechanisms behind developing a hostile attributional style, our study contributes to a better understanding of this issue and offers practical implications. Specifically, recognizing the importance of narcissistic vulnerability can benefit professionals working with adolescents who tend to make hostile attributions.