You have full access to this open access article. In order to ensure the validity and feasibility of the measure, we examined the factor structure, measurement invariance across gender, age and ethnicity, and construct validity in relation to a number of correlates of narcissism in adolescence. Data were drawn from a large cross-sectional survey conducted in 35 schools in southern Sweden. The results showed that the measure holds a two-factor structure, suggesting the use of the subscales grandiosity and vulnerability separately, rather than as a unidimensional measure.
The correlated factors grandiosity and vulnerability yielded full configural and metric invariance across gender, age, and ethnicity. Both grandiosity and vulnerability were correlated with externalizing and internalizing symptoms, as well as with low self-esteem. The study provides evidence for the utility of the SB-PNI among Swedish adolescents and indicates that the measure can be used across male and female adolescents of different ages and ethnic groups.
Capturing adolescent narcissistic traits has not been easy, as these traits have often been assessed with measures developed for adults Derry et al. However, such an approach to the assessment of adolescent narcissism may be questionable, since adult measures are often time-consuming and not necessarily suited to the reality of adolescence.
This poses a threat to the ecological validity of the measures used. This has led to the development of measures specifically designed for adolescents e.
In the current study, we examine the potential of the SB-PNI outside of the US, by testing its psychometric structure and properties on a multi-ethnic sample of adolescents in Sweden. Narcissistic personality traits are described as a continuum ranging from normal, healthy expressions of personal dominance, competitiveness and the perseverance of a positive self-image to pathological, maladaptive behaviours Roche et al.
