The frequency of narcissistic traits in medical and psychology students in Poland and France.

Abstract

Background: Research indicates that narcissistic traits negatively correlate with empathy and may significantly predict interpersonal behaviors. Narcissism is also associated with a higher risk of addiction and mental health issues, making its analysis among future healthcare workers particularly important.

Participants and procedure: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative method with the computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) technique on a group of 1,092 medical and psychology students in Poland and France. The NPI-40 test was used to analyze narcissism. The study was fully anonymous and voluntary. Students were invited to participate through university mailing systems and information posted on social media platforms.

Results: Our study found differences in NPI-40 scores based on gender, country, and field of study. Men scored higher than women in both France (M = 10.60, SD = 6.00) and Poland (M = 12.90, SD = 6.60), with a statistically significant gender effect. While medical students had slightly higher scores than psychology students, the difference was not significant. However, gender-field interactions varied by country: in France, male medical students scored higher than male psychology students, whereas in Poland, psychology students had higher scores than medical students. Despite these findings, the models explained only 5% of the variance in France and 3% in Poland, suggesting that other factors contribute to narcissism levels in this studied population.

Conclusions: These results may prove important in designing programs that support students' mental health and interventions aimed at improving interpersonal relationships, especially in the case of Polish medical students.