The Role of Parenting Styles in Narcissism Development: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In contemporary Western societies, there has been a marked increase in narcissistic tendencies, often referred to as the “narcissism epidemic”. This rise highlights the importance of understanding the origins of narcissism, particularly regarding its potential association with parenting styles. Such insights can inform treatment approaches and contribute to paradigm shifts in developmental psychology. This systematic review and meta-analysis examine how different parenting styles are associated with the development of narcissistic traits, using both partial and zero-order correlations as measures of effect. Specifically, it evaluates the impact of the four parenting styles identified by Baumrind—authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful—and their respective roles in either promoting or mitigating narcissistic tendencies. The review follows PRISMA guidelines and is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024516395). Studies published in English or Portuguese since 2000 were sourced from PubMed (1,039 articles) and Scopus (2,120 articles), resulting in a final sample of 53 studies across 38 articles. Data synthesis included assessment of statistical heterogeneity (I2 statistic), publication bias (funnel plots, Egger’s test, and trim-and-fill method), and methodological quality (adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, NOS). Additionally, sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of excluding studies scoring below eight on the NOS by comparing results from analyses with all studies versus high-quality studies only. Results indicate a significant, albeit weak, association between parenting styles and narcissistic traits, with notable variations between maternal and paternal influences. This analysis provides a comprehensive perspective on the interplay between parenting approaches and the emergence of narcissistic characteristics, underscoring the complexity of factors that contribute to narcissism in contemporary society.