Narcissism Facets and Gelotophobia as Predictors of Early Outcomes in Group Psychotherapy for Personality Difficulties.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated how specific narcissistic traits and gelotophobia (fear of being laughed at) predict changes in depressive symptoms and negative affect during the first three months of treatment in individuals with personality disorders.

METHOD: Forty-eight patients (75% female, M age = 31.76) with personality difficulties participated in group psychotherapy. Outcome variables were depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) and negative affect (PANAS-X), measured pre-intervention and after 3 months of psychotherapy. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to test the hypotheses. The analyses corrected for the nested data structure.

RESULTS

Narcissistic neuroticism significantly predicted increases in both depressive symptoms (β = -0.501, p = .005) and negative affect (β = -0.571, p = .001). Gelotophobia was correlated with symptom worsening but did not add predictive value beyond narcissistic neuroticism.

CONCLUSION

Narcissistic neuroticism is a key predictor of early symptom deterioration in group psychotherapy. Pre-treatment assessment of this trait may help clinicians anticipate early distress and adjust therapeutic interventions accordingly.