Tracking the hypersensitive dimension in narcissism: Reliability and validity of the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale.

The aim of the study was to assess the reliability and the validity of the Italian translation of the Hypersensitive
Narcissism Scale (HSNS) in a sample of consecutively admitted psychiatric outpatients (N = 366) and in an
independent sample of non-clinical volunteers (N = 385). In both samples, data from the HSNS had adequate
internal consistency, considering its limited length. Consistent with our hypothesis, a two-factor structure
explained the HSNS item intercorrelations. Among clinical participants, the HSNS and the Narcissistic
Personality Inventory (NPI) showed radically different patterns of correlations with the fourth edition of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) Personality Disorder diagnoses. In both
samples, the HSNS and the NPI showed distinct and theoretically consistent correlations with temperament
and character dimensions. As a whole, these fi ndings seem to support the reliability and the validity of the
HSNS as a measure of hypersensitive narcissism.