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Comparative Study | Psychology | Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026 | Pages: 1297 - 1303 | India
A Study on the Psychological, Physical, and Boundary Impact on Close Relationship Survivors of Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Abstract: Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is usually studied through the person who holds the diagnosis, while the people closest to that person, their children and their partners, are rarely examined. This study investigated the psychological, physical, and boundary-related impact of close relationships with people diagnosed with, or showing, narcissistic traits, among adults in urban India. A quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design was used within a larger mixed methods project. Survivors were analysed as two groups, adult children of a narcissistic parent and survivors of a narcissistic intimate partner, and a group of practising clinicians provided observational data. Participants completed a socio-demographic sheet, the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ), and the Empowerment and Boundaries Assessment (EBA). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach?s alpha, independent-samples comparisons, chi-square analysis, and Spearman correlations. Adult children of a narcissistic parent reported significantly higher somatic burden and higher trauma symptoms than partner survivors, and met criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder far more often. Boundary functioning was broadly similar across the two groups and differed only on the social and relational domain. Physical and psychological harm were strongly correlated, and weaker boundaries accompanied higher trauma. Clinician observations pointed the same way. All measures showed good to excellent internal consistency. These findings describe the burden survivors carry across mind and body; they indicate association rather than clinical causation.
Keywords: Narcissistic abuse; Complex trauma; Somatic symptoms; Psychological boundaries; Help-seeking; India
How to Cite?: Sneha Mohammed, Evangeline Supriya, "A Study on the Psychological, Physical, and Boundary Impact on Close Relationship Survivors of Narcissistic Personality Disorder", Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1297-1303, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR26921165546, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR26921165546