Childhood Maltreatment and Depression in University Students: The Serial Mediating Roles of Vulnerable Narcissism and Rejection Sensitivity

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment is a pervasive early-life stressor that has been consistently linked to depressive symptoms in adulthood. However, the interpersonal and personality mechanisms underlying this association remain insufficiently integrated. Drawing on self-psychology and interpersonal theories of depression, the present study examined whether vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism, and rejection sensitivity mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression among university students. A total of 486 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students completed validated self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, pathological narcissism, rejection sensitivity, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test multiple and serial mediation effects. The results indicated that childhood maltreatment positively predicted depression. Vulnerable narcissism and rejection sensitivity independently mediated this association, and a significant serial mediation pathway was observed from childhood maltreatment to depression via vulnerable narcissism and rejection sensitivity. In contrast, grandiose narcissism was not significantly associated with childhood maltreatment or depression in the model. These findings suggest that childhood maltreatment contributes to depressive symptoms primarily through maladaptive self-related vulnerability and heightened interpersonal sensitivity to rejection.