Accepted Manuscript

Vulnerable narcissism and addiction: The mediating role of shame

Elena Bilevicius, Darren C. Neufeld, Alanna Single, Melody Foot,

Michael Ellery, Matthew T. Keough, Edward A. Johnson

PII: S0306-4603(18)31259-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.12.035
Reference: AB 5855
To appear in: Addictive Behaviors
Received date: 30 October 2018
Revised date: 21 December 2018
Accepted date: 30 December 2018

Please cite this article as: Elena Bilevicius, Darren C. Neufeld, Alanna Single, Melody
Foot, Michael Ellery, Matthew T. Keough, Edward A. Johnson , Vulnerable narcissism
and addiction: The mediating role of shame. Ab (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.addbeh.2018.12.035

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Vulnerable narcissism and addiction: The mediating role of shame

Elena Bilevicius, Darren C. Neufeld, Alanna Single, Melody Foot, Michael Ellery, Matthew T. Keough, & Edward A. Johnson*

ed.johnson@umanitoba.ca
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University of Manitoba, Department of Psychology, 190 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada

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Corresponding author.

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E D Abstract

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Problem drinking and gambling are addictive behaviours experienced by young adults and commonly occur with narcissism. Research

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has acknowledged two distinct forms of narcissism: grandiose and vulnerable. There has been work that has examined the relationship

between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and addictive behaviours, but it has been limited, particularly with vulnerable

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narcissism. Evidence suggests vulnerable narcissism, but not grandiose narcissism, is associated with greater negative affect.

Accordingly, shame, a potent social emotion could be a mediator in the narcissism-addiction pathway. Shame has been implicated in

both vulnerable narcissism and problem drinking and gambling. Thus, we hypothesized that shame would mediate the relationship

between vulnerable narcissism and addictive behaviours. Young adults (N = 210) completed self-report baseline (Time 1) and 1-month
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 2

follow-up (Time 2) assessments of shame, narcissism, problem drinking, and gambling. As predicted, those with elevated vulnerable

narcissism at Time 1 had increased shame at Time 2, which predicted problem drinking and gambling at Time 2. This relationship was

not observed for grandiose narcissism. Overall, our results suggest that feelings of shame are essential to understanding the vulnerable

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narcissism-addiction pathway, and an important consideration when designing clinical interventions for at-risk young adults.
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Keywords: vulnerable narcissism; shame; addiction; alcohol; gambling; young adult.
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Young adulthood is a transitional period when many individuals gamble and drink (Adlaf, Demers, & Gliksman, 2005;

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Kaloyanides, McCabe, Cranford, & Teter, 2007). While this time period may be characterized by experimentation (Brown et al.,

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2008), research has identified high rates of problem gambling and drinking among young adults (Adlaf, Demers, & Gliksman; Borsari,

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Murphy, & Barnett, 2007). Such high rates of addictive behaviours have demonstrably contributed to negative outcomes such as poor

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academic performance, dating violence, and injury (Afifi, Brownridge, MacMillan, & Sareen, 2010; Thombs et al., 2009). Thus, it is

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important to understand the etiology underlying such risky addictive behaviours.

One potential explanation for young adults’ propensity toward addictive behaviours is the extent to which individuals exhibit

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features of narcissism. Narcissism can be classified by a number of distinct intrapsychic qualities and behaviours including

exaggerated self-importance, entitlement, a need for admiration from others, and a lack of empathy (American Psychiatric Association

[APA], 2013). Narcissism may be conceptualized as a distinct personality disorder (i.e., Narcissistic Personality Disorder [NPD]) as

well as falling along a normal continuum of personality traits (Cramer, 2011; Paulhus & Williams, 2002). Interestingly, alcohol and
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 3

gambling commonly co-occur with narcissism and NPD (Brown, Allen, & Dowling, 2015; Rogier & Velotti, 2018). Indeed, literature

has found a link between narcissism and addictive behaviours, including alcohol use disorders (Luhtanen & Crocker, 2005) and

gambling disorder (Rogier & Velotti 2018), with prevalence rates as high as 19.6% for co-occurring NPD and substance dependence

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(Stinson et al., 2008) and 16.6% for gambling disorder (Dowling et al., 2015). While empirical and clinical literature suggest robust
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associations between narcissism and addictive behaviours (Ronningstam, 2005), the underlying mechanism of the narcissism-risk

pathway to addiction is not known.

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The majority of research studies on narcissism and addictive behaviours have used the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI;

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Raskin & Terry, 1988). In general population samples, NPI-measured narcissism is associated with higher self-esteem (Campbell,

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Rudich, & Sedikides, 2002), positive mental health and life satisfaction (Sedikides, Rudich, Gregg, Kumashiro, & Rusbult, 2004).

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These positive associations indicate that NPI-measured narcissism has adaptive qualities, particularly when it occurs within a

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moderate range of severity (Jauk & Kaufman, 2018; Lapsley & Aalsma, 2006). For these reasons, NPI-measured narcissism has been

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referred to as normal narcissism to contrast it with pathological narcissism which lacks these adaptive elements (Pincus & Lukowiczy,

2010). Notwithstanding its generally adaptive qualities, normal narcissism has been associated with binge drinking (Luhtanen &

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Crocker, 2005) and risky behaviours such as gambling (Buelow & Brunell, 2014; Hill, 2015).

In addition to the distinction between normal and pathological narcissism, research has also increasingly acknowledged a

distinction between grandiose and vulnerable phenotypes of narcissism (Cain, Pincus, & Ansell, 2008; Kaufman, Weiss, Miller, &

Campbell, in press; Pincus & Lukowiczy, 2010). While sharing core features such as entitlement and interpersonal antagonism
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 4

(Dickinson & Pincus, 2003; Wink, 1991), vulnerable narcissism can be distinguished by hypersensitivity, emptiness, socially avoidant

coping, and shame (Cain et al., 2008; Pincus et al., 2009). Limited research has examined the relationship between pathological forms

of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and addictive behaviours. In one study, Rogier and Velotti (2018) examined the relationship

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between narcissism and gambling disorders. Disordered gamblers endorsed higher vulnerable and grandiose narcissism on the
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Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI; Pincus et al., 2009), relative to controls. However, grandiose (but not vulnerable) narcissism

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was associated with gambling severity (Rogier & Velotti, 2018). In one of the few studies to examine both grandiose and vulnerable

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narcissistic phenotypes, Miller and colleagues (2010) found that grandiose, but not vulnerable narcissism, was associated with

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externalizing behaviours such as gambling and crime, but not alcohol use. However, the authors found that vulnerable narcissism was

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associated with greater negative affect compared to grandiose narcissism (Miller et al., 2010). Previous research has found positive

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associations between vulnerable narcissism and shame (Cain et al., 2008; Pincus et al., 2009) and has revealed shame as an important

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mediator in the addictions pathway (Bilevicius et al., 2018; Treeby & Bruno, 2012), yet there has not been an examination of

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vulnerable narcissism and shame in the context of addiction. Considering the paucity of research examining the relation of narcissism

in the addictions pathway and the differential findings across addictive behaviours, it is important to further examine the relationship

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between both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and addictive behaviours in young adults.

Shame is a potent social emotion that can arise following a perceived negative event (Lewis, 1971) and is associated with

psychopathology and interpersonal difficulty (Tangney & Dearing, 2002). Closely associated with feelings of inferiority and

embarrassment, research has linked feelings of shame to vulnerable narcissism (Cain et al., 2008; Ritter et al., 2014; Schoenleber &
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 5

Berenbaum, 2012) and problem gambling and drinking (Bilevicius et al., 2018; Treeby & Bruno, 2012). Grandiose narcissism has a

more nuanced relationship with shame, depending on how this construct is measured (e.g., NPI vs. PNI). Consequently, assessing both

grandiose and vulnerable narcissism in relation to shame would be important in order to determine whether they may encourage

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addictive behaviours via distinct pathways and to help clarify the divergent relations between grandiose narcissism and shame. To our
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knowledge, there has been a lack of literature examining the potential mechanisms underlying the narcissism-addiction pathway,

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particularly for problem drinking. Considering the established relationship between narcissism, shame, and problem gambling and

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drinking, it is important to examine these variables in conjunction to provide an enhanced etiological understanding of this addiction

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risk pathway.

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Our primary goal was to examine whether shame mediated the impact of narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable) on problem

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gambling and drinking. Using a longitudinal design and structural equation modeling (SEM), we hypothesized that young adults with

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elevated vulnerable narcissism would be more prone to experiencing shame at follow-up, which would in turn be associated with

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greater problem gambling and drinking. Consistent with prior clinical and empirical writings, we did not anticipate that shame would

mediate the grandiose narcissism-addiction pathway. Results from the present study are likely to inform targeted interventions for

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addictive behaviours among young adults, given the prevalence of narcissistic traits among this population and their propensity to

engage in addictive behaviours as a coping strategy.

Method

Procedure and Participants

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Four hundred and ninety-seven participants were recruited through an online psychology participant pool at the University of

Manitoba. Participants who completed measures at this stage (Time 1) were invited to participate in a follow-up study one month later

(Time 2) to examine the influence of shame-eliciting events during the interval on addictive behaviors. Two hundred and ten

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participants completed measures at Time 2, and we opted to include only those with complete data at both time points in our analyses.
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This final sample primarily consisted of female participants (76% female; M age =19.71, SD = 3.83), with the majority of participants

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identifying as Caucasian (59%). Other ethnic minorities represented in the study were Filipino (16%), Indigenous (5%), Chinese (4%),

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South Asian (3%), Black (2%), and Other (11%). Participants received research course credit for participating, and ethical approval

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was obtained from the University of Manitoba Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the study.

Measures
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Pathological narcissism inventory. The PNI (Pincus et al., 2009) is a 52-item scale that measures pathological narcissism.

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Respondents indicated their agreement with a number of statements that best reflects their own beliefs (e.g., “I can make anyone

believe anything I want them to”) on a 6-point scale (0 = not like me at all; 5 = very much like me). The PNI was administered at Time

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1. For the purposes of our study, we opted to examine the two higher-order factors (grandiose and vulnerable narcissism), rather than a

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total mean score in order to compare the risk-pathways. As such, separate mean scores were computed for grandiose narcissism and

vulnerable narcissism (Wright, Lukowitsky, Pincus, & Conroy, 2010). Previous work has reported that these factors have

demonstrated good reliability (Schoenleber, Roche, Wetzel, Pincus, & Roberts, 2015) and validity (Miller et al., 2011). In our study,

both vulnerable (α = .95) and grandiose narcissism (α = .85) had good-to-excellent- reliability.
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 7

Rizvi shame inventory. The Rizvi Shame Inventory (RSI; Rizvi, 2010) is a 53-item scale that measures a respondent’s

tendency to experience shame. The first three items assess global feelings of shame and were excluded from our analyses. For the

remaining 50 items, respondents indicated whether they experienced each event in the past month. For those experiences that they

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endorsed (e.g., “Broke a promise”), respondents rated how much shame they experienced on a 5-point scale (0 = no shame; 4 =
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extreme shame). The RSI was administered at Time 2. A total score was computed for the overall number of shameful situations

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experienced, and an average score was computed to reflect the total amount of shame experienced.

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Life events scale for students. The Life Events Scale for Students (LESS; Linden, 1984) is a 36-item measure that assesses

stressful events that a student may experience (e.g., “Minor financial problems”). Respondents indicated whether an event happened
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(0 = did not occur; 1 = occurred) during the past month. For events that did occur, respondents indicated the degree of shame they felt

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in relation to the event on a 5-point scale (0 = no shame; 4 = extreme shame). The LESS was administered at Time 2. A total score

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was computed for the overall number of stressful life events that occurred, and an average score was computed for the degree of

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amount of shame experienced.
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shame experienced from each isolate event. A product of the total score and average score was calculated to indicate the overall

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Rutger’s alcohol problem index. The Rutger’s Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI; White & Labouvie, 1989) is a 23-item

measure that assesses alcohol-related problems. Respondents indicated how often they experience certain alcohol problems in the past

month on a 4-point scale (0 = never; 3 = more than five times). A total score was calculated. The RAPI was administered at Time 1

and Time 2. Previous work has supported good reliability (Wiers, van de Luitgaarden, van den Wildenberg, & Smulders, 2005) and
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validity (Martens, Neighbors, Dams-O'Connor, Lee, & Larimer, 2007). In our study, the RAPI had excellent internal consistency at

Time 1 (α = .94) and Time 2 (α = .95).

Problem gambling severity index. The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI; Ferris & Wynne, 2001) is a 9-item scale

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that measures problem gambling. Respondents indicated how often they experienced a number of gambling-related statements in the
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past month on a 4-point scale (0 = never; 3 = almost always). A total score was calculated. The PGSI was administered at Time 1 and

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Time 2. The PGSI is one of the most widely used measures of problem gambling severity, and previous work has supported good

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consistency at Time 1 (α = .93) and Time 2 (α = .94). N U
reliability and validity (Wynne, 2002). In our study, the PGSI was treated as a continuous variable, and had excellent internal

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Results

Preliminary analyses

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Missing data. Due to the longitudinal nature of our design, we observed 58% attrition: 497 participants completed the baseline

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assessment, of which 210 also completed the one-month follow-up. High attrition rates are common in addictions research, especially

involving undergraduate samples (e.g., Keough & O'Connor, 2015; Thygesen, Johansen, Keiding, Giovannucci, & Gronbaek, 2008;

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Wohl & Sztainert, 2011). However, given the high attrition rate in our sample, we ran a series of missing data analyses prior to our

SEM models to rule out any potential analytic issues (Enders, 2010).

Overall, there were no systematic differences between participants that completed both time points and those that did not on

baseline grandiose narcissism (t (495) = -0.25, p = .622, d = 0.03), vulnerable narcissism, (t (495) = 0.24, p = .158, d = 0.03), gambling
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 9

problems (PGSI; t (495) = 0.81, p = .419, d = 0.08), and alcohol problems (RAPI; t (495) = 0.15, p = .873, d = 0.01). Missing data were

also uncorrelated with sex (r = -.001, p = .991) and age (r = .04, p = .422).

From these analyses, we did not observe systematic data loss. Thus, we concluded our data were at least missing at random.

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Extant work suggests that complete case analysis is an appropriate method for analyzing data that are at least missing at random (Knol
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et al., 2010; I. R. White & Carlin, 2010), as in our study. Therefore, we chose to include only participants who completed both the

baseline and follow-up measures

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Data screening. Prior to examining normality, we checked for outliers in our variables (z > 3.29; Tabachnick & Fidell, 2013).

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Outliers were found for the PGSI at Time 1 (n = 5) and Time 2 (n = 7); on the RAPI at Time 1 (n = 6) and Time 2 (n = 4); on the RSI

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at Time 2 (n = 3); and on the LESS at Time 2 (n = 2). We replaced outliers with the next highest value within the acceptable range

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(Kline, 2010). Next, we examined the normality of the sample distribution (see Table 1). Consistent with previous work, the PGSI at

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both Time 1 and 2 were non-normal (skew > 3.0; kurtosis > 10; Chinneck, Mackinnon & Stewart, 2016; Kline, 2010; Miller, Miler,

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Verhegge, Linville, & Pumariega, 2002). As such, we used robust maximum likelihood estimation (MLR) and bootstrapping to derive

model fit indices and path coefficients (Muthén & Muthén, 2012).

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Descriptives and correlations. See Table 1 for descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations. Levels of problem gambling

and drinking were comparable to previous reports of alcohol consumption (Buckner & Terlecki, 2016; Kampov-Polevoy et al., 2014;

White, Anderson, Ray, & Mun, 2016) and gambling in young adult samples (Chinneck et al., 2016; Edgerton, Keough, & Roberts,

2018). Levels of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism were similar to other studies with a young adult sample (Wright et al., 2010).
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Vulnerable narcissism at Time 1 was positively correlated with both alcohol and gambling problems at Time 2. In contrast, grandiose

narcissism at Time 1 was positively correlated with alcohol, but not gambling, problems at Time 2. Both gambling and alcohol

measures at both time points positively correlated with measures of shame at Time 2. Sex was negatively correlated with problem

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gambling, meaning that males had higher PGSI scores than females at both time points. Given this, sex was added as a covariate in the
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model predicting problem gambling behaviours.
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[Table 1 approximately here]

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Hypothesis testing

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Problem gambling model. We examined the mediational role of shame (Time 2) on the prospective relationship between

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vulnerable and grandiose narcissism (both at Time 1) and gambling problems (Time 2), after controlling for Time 1 gambling

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problems and sex (see Figure 1). The hypothesized model fit the data well (χ2 = 11.53, df = 8, χ2 /df = 1.44, p = .17; CFI = .971;

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RMSEA = .047 (90% CI [.000, .102]); SRMR = .038). We used bias corrected bootstrapped 95% CIs to assess the presence and

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magnitude of indirect effects (Fritz & Mackinnon, 2007). Mediation is said to be present if the 95% CI for the indirect effect does not

include zero as a possible value. The indirect effect from vulnerable narcissism to problem gambling through shame was supported.

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Consistent with hypotheses, after controlling for baseline gambling, individuals with elevated vulnerable narcissism at Time 1

endorsed higher levels of shame at Time 2, which in turn predicted higher levels of problem gambling at Time 2 (β = 0.225, 95% CI

[0.062, 0.534]; see Figure 1). In order to check the extent of the mediation, we added a direct path (post-hoc) to the model from

vulnerable narcissism to problem gambling. This added path did not substantially improve model fit (ΔCFI = .02) and the effect was
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 11

non-significant (β = 0.118, SE = 0.240, p = 0.623). This suggests that a model with full mediation best explained this data. The

indirect effect from grandiose narcissism to problem gambling through shame was not supported, which is consistent with hypotheses

(β = 0.048, 95% CI [-.058, .291]; see Figure 1).

[Figure 1 approximately here]

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Problem drinking model. We examined whether there was a mediational role of shame (Time 2) on the prospective

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relationship between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism (both at Time 1) and alcohol problems (Time 2), after controlling for Time 1

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alcohol problems (see Figures 2). The hypothesized model provided adequate fit to the data (χ2 = 10.40, df = 6, χ2 /df = 1.73, p = .11;

CFI = .963; RMSEA = .061 (90% CI [.000, .121]); SRMR = .063). The indirect effect of vulnerable narcissism on alcohol problems
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through shame was supported. As predicted, after controlling for baseline alcohol problems, individuals with elevated vulnerable

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narcissism at Time 1 endorsed higher levels of shame at Time 2, which in turn related to increased alcohol problems at Time 2 (β =

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1.117, 95% CI [.227, 2.607]; see Figure 2). As in model one, we added a direct path (post-hoc) to the model from vulnerable

narcissism to problem drinking. The addition of the path did not substantially improve the fit of the model (ΔCFI = .01), and this

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effect was non-significant (β = 1.123, SE = 1.090, p = .303). Again, this suggests that the hypothesized full mediation model provided

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excellent fit to the data. Consistent with hypotheses, the indirect path from grandiose narcissism to alcohol problems via shame was

not supported (β = 0.181, 95% CI [-0.460, 1.072]; see Figure 2).

[Figure 2 approximately here]

Discussion
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The primary goal of this project was to examine the mediational role of shame in the narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable)

pathway to addictive behaviours in young adults. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that individuals with elevated vulnerable

narcissism experienced stronger feelings of shame at follow-up, which in turn predicted greater problem drinking and gambling. These

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results suggest a unique mediational role of shame and illustrates that shame appears to be a critical linkage in explaining the
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narcissism-addiction pathway.
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Our results indicate that vulnerable and grandiose narcissism may encourage addictive behaviours in young adults, albeit via

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distinct mechanisms. Specifically, we found support for a mediational role of shame in the narcissism-addiction for vulnerable, but not

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grandiose narcissism. This is consistent with extant literature that has noted close associations between shame and vulnerable

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narcissism (Cain et al., 2008; Ritter et al., 2014; Schoenleber & Berenbaum, 2012) and the relevance of shame in addictions pathway

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(Bilevicius et al., 2018; Treeby & Bruno, 2012). Although grandiose and vulnerable narcissism share overlapping characteristics

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(Dickinson & Pincus, 2003), our study provides further evidence for their distinct qualities and is among the first to demonstrate their

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unique influences within the context of addiction. Rogier & Velotti (2018) found that a component of emotion dysregulation

(impulsivity) mediated the relationship between grandiose narcissism and gambling severity. Here, we also found that ineffective

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emotional regulation, characterized by shame, mediated the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and a broader range of

addictive behaviours including problem drinking and gambling. This suggests that both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism may

encourage addictive behaviours through emotional dysregulation, but diverge with regard to the particular mechanism underlying this

dysregulation. Future research could further examine these divergent pathways to addiction and consider alternative mechanisms.
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 13

Our study emphasizes the importance of underlying negative emotions in the experience of addictive behaviours, consistent

with prior research (Bilevicius et al., 2018; Khantzian, 1997; Treeby & Bruno, 2012). Vulnerable narcissism is associated with

heightened sensitivity to negative emotions (Pincus et al., 2009). Indeed, Miller and colleagues (2010) found a unique link between

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vulnerable narcissism and negative emotions, yet this relationship had not been examined in the context of addictive behaviours. Self-
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medication theory (Khantzian, 1997) suggests that individuals use alcohol or addictive behaviours to escape negative emotions.

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Shame, a powerful negative emotion, has been consistently linked to vulnerable narcissism (Cain et al., 2008; Pincus et al., 2009) and

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problem drinking and gambling (Bilevicius et al., 2018; Treeby & Bruno, 2012). Our study is novel by integrating these conceptually-

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linked constructs to demonstrate the relevance of both vulnerable narcissism and shame for the development of addictive behaviours

in young adults.
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Clinical implications from this work might include the importance of interventions targeting feelings of shame, which

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appeared to facilitate problem drinking and gambling for those experience vulnerable narcissism. Previous research has demonstrated

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that feelings of shame may be ameliorated through a self-compassion writing task, which has garnered support for its ability to reduce

shame and improve overall affect (Johnson & O’Brien, 2013; Leary, Tate, Adams, Allen, & Hancock, 2007). In this task, individuals

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are encouraged to write about their shameful experience from a more compassionate perspective, where they are instructed to be

nonjudgmentally mindful and accepting of their experience (Leary et al., 2007). Given the success of this paradigm in reducing

feelings of shame among young adult populations (Johnson & O’Brien, 2013), this may be a well-suited intervention to reduce

engagement in addictive behaviours by young adults with elevated vulnerable narcissism. Moreover, given that vulnerable narcissism
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 14

has been associated with positive indicators of psychotherapy effectiveness (e.g., higher attendance at therapy and use of crisis

services, fewer appointment cancellations; Pincus et al., 2009), individuals with higher levels of vulnerable narcissism may be more

receptive toward interventions aimed at reducing negative emotional states such as shame and possibly more likely to benefit from

treatment.
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It is important to consider our results in light of limitations. First, although not uncommon in addictions research, we

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experienced a large degree of attrition. Despite this, we determined the data were MCAR (Knol et al., 2010; White & Carlin, 2010)

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and we retained a sufficient sample size to evaluate our theoretical SEM models. Second, our participant sample was also

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predominantly female; consequently, it would be important for future research to replicate these findings among a more balanced

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participant sample. Third, we did not control for trait shame at Time 1. Finally, our measures of shame and addictive behaviours were

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assessed concurrently and so we were unable to establish temporal precedence; separating out these variables longitudinally would

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provide a more robust test of our proposed model.

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In conclusion, our study suggests that shame is important in the vulnerable- but not grandiose-narcissism-addiction pathway in

young adults. The results highlight the importance of targeting young adults’ feelings of shame when developing interventions to

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reduce their engagement in problem drinking and gambling for those high in vulnerable narcissism.

Conflict of interest:
All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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VULNERABLE NARCISSISM AND ADDICTION 15

Declarations of Interest:
There are no conflicts of interest to declare. There is no funding to report for this study.

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Table 1 Descriptive Statistics and Bivariate Correlations
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1. Grandiose Narcissism
(T1)
-
.61**
M
.25** .16* .12*
.09 .13* .14* -.07

2. Vulnerable Narcissism
(T1)
-

E D .37** .23** .14*

.13* .26** .27** -.01

3. RSI (T2)
4. LESS (T2)
P T - .58**
-
.02
.14*
.14*
.14*
.19**
.28**
.33**
.36**
.12
.11
5. PGSI (T1)
6. PGSI (T2)
7. RAPI (T1)
C E - .53**
-
.57**
.36**
-
.39**
.58**
.65**
-.22**
-.26**
-.05
8. RAPI (T2)
9. Sex (0=male, 1=female)
A C - -.06
-

M 2.71 2.20 54.09 11.34 0.62 0.92 5.98 6.22 76% F

SD 0.73 0.081 66.78 9.42 2.10 2.36 8.19 8.98 -
Skew 0.04 -0.06 2.03 1.41 5.15 3.02 1.83 1.92 -
Kurtosis 0.02 -0.53 4.82 2.47 12.11 8.28 2.88 3.05 -
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Note. RSI, Rizvi Shame Inventory; LESS, Life Events Scale for Students; PGSI, Problem Gambling Severity Index; RAPI, Rutgers’s

Alcohol Problem Index; T1, Time 1; T2, Time2; M, mean; SD, standard deviation.

*p< .05.

**p< .01.
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Figure 1. Structural equation model of vulnerable and grandiose narcissism predicting problem gambling as mediated by shame. Path

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coefficients are in the following order: unstandardized (standard error) and standardized estimates. All paths from vulnerable

A
narcissism were statistically significant (p < .05). The path from grandiose narcissism was not significant (p > .05). Problem gambling

M
severity index (PGSI) total scores at Time 1 and sex in the model were included as covariates.

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Figure 2. Structural equation model of vulnerable and grandiose narcissism predicting problem drinking as mediated by shame. Path

P T
coefficients are in the following order: unstandardized (standard error) and standardized estimates. All paths from vulnerable

E
narcissism were statistically significant (p < .05). The path from grandiose narcissism was not significant (p > .05). Rutger’s alcohol
C
Highlights A C
problem index (RAPI) total scores at Time 1 in the model were included as a covariate.

 Individuals with elevated vulnerable narcissism at Time 1 had increased shame at Time 2
 Shame mediated the relationship between baseline vulnerable narcissism and problem drinking and gambling one-month later
 There was no mediational relationship between grandiose narcissism, shame, and addictive behaviours