Exploring the links between rejection sensitivity, vulnerable narcissism, and hostile attributions in inmates and non-incarcerated individuals

This study examines the relationship between vulnerable narcissism, rejection sensitivity, and hostile attributions, comparing 125 inmates in Poland to 183 non-inmates from the general population (N = 308). It was hypothesized that vulnerable narcissism would be positively associated with hostile attributions, with rejection sensitivity independently predicting hostile attributions after accounting for shared variance. Additionally, the study explored whether the relationship between rejection sensitivity and hostile attributions would differ between inmates and non-inmates. Results revealed that vulnerable narcissism was positively associated with hostile attributions, and rejection sensitivity mediated this relationship. Among non-inmates, rejection sensitivity had a significant indirect effect on hostile attributions, but this effect was not observed in the inmate group. These results suggest that rejection sensitivity may help explain why individuals with high levels of vulnerable narcissism are more likely to perceive hostility in others; however, this relationship did not hold as expected within the inmate population.