Beyond Avoidance: Psychological Coping in Non-Detachable Relationships with Narcissistic Personality Traits
Abstract: Background: People may remain in family, intimate, friendship, or workplace relationships in which they perceive the other person to display narcissistic personality traits, even when disengagement is difficult. The psychological correlates of these experiences across relationship contexts warrant further study. Objective: To examine associations between perceived narcissistic personality traits and depression, anxiety, and stress, and to describe differences in psychological distress across major relationship contexts. Methods: This online, quantitative study used a cross-sectional correlational analysis of the initial survey phase. Of 122 completed responses, one response received after the data-collection cutoff was excluded from score analyses, leaving 121 participants. Participants reported on one continuing relationship. Perceived narcissistic personality traits were assessed using an adapted Narcissistic Personality Inventory-40 (NPI-40), and psychological distress was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42 (DASS-42). Pearson correlations examined associations between NPI-40 and DASS-42 scores. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) compared distress across family/partner, friend/relative, and workplace groups. Results: Mean NPI-40 score was 16.26 (SD = 6.99). Mean DASS-42 scores were 16.24 (SD = 9.97) for depression, 15.51 (SD = 9.38) for anxiety, and 18.30 (SD = 9.38) for stress. Perceived narcissistic traits were positively associated with depression (r = .205, p = .024) and anxiety (r = .179, p = .050); the association with stress was not statistically significant (r = .167, p = .067). Across the three relationship-context groups, ANOVAs indicated differences in depression, F(2, 115) = 3.53, p = .033, and anxiety, F(2, 115) = 3.60, p = .030, but not stress, F(2, 115) = 1.83, p = .165. The workplace group had the highest descriptive means on all three outcomes. Conclusion: In this convenience sample, higher perceived narcissistic personality-trait scores were associated with modestly higher depression and anxiety scores. Psychological distress also differed by relationship context for depression and anxiety. The cross-sectional design, small effect sizes, self-report measures, adapted NPI-40, and lack of post-hoc comparisons limit interpretation. These findings do not establish causation or diagnose the person being described.
Keywords: narcissistic traits; interpersonal relationships; depression; anxiety; stress; relationship context; psychological distress
How to Cite?: Reshma Razak, "Beyond Avoidance: Psychological Coping in Non-Detachable Relationships with Narcissistic Personality Traits", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1230-1232, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261019211321, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261019211321