Prevalence of Adaptive Narcissism and Its Demographic Correlations Among the Interns of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Medical Faculty: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Adaptive narcissism is the presence of narcissistic personality traits in otherwise normal individuals. Considering the potential effects of narcissism on the medical profession. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of adaptive narcissism and its demographic correlations among a medical student population using self-assessment tools. Methods: Participants were selected through cluster sampling among students spending their internship in the Medical School of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2019 (N = 138). The 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-40) was used to assess the prevalence of adaptive narcissism. Next, the demographic correlations of narcissism were studied. Results: The prevalence of adaptive narcissism was 18.1%, with the NPI-40 mean score of 14.43. The self-sufficiency subscale of NPI-40 was correlated with the male gender (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Among medical interns, the whole constructs of adaptive narcissism are as high as found in a normal population and are not correlated with demographic characteristics of the given sample. The self-sufficiency subscale is positively correlated with the male gender.