Reading Hidden Red Flags: The Moderating Role of Anxious Attachment on The Relationship between Vulnerable Narcissism and Violence in Romantic Relationships
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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern among young adults. Previous evidence regarding the role of vulnerable narcissism in IPV has been inconsistent, suggesting the presence of an unidentified moderating factor. This study examined the moderating role of anxious attachment in the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and IPV based on the I3 Model (Instigation–Impellance–Inhibition). The participants were 163 emerging adults aged 18–30 years who had been involved in a dating relationship for at least six months and were selected from an initial pool of 200 respondents. Participants completed the Vulnerable Narcissism Scale (VNS), the anxiety subscale of the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised (ECR-R), and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) through an online survey. Data were analyzed using hierarchical moderated regression based on Hayes’ moderation analysis approach, corresponding to PROCESS Model 1. The results showed that vulnerable narcissism was a strong positive predictor of IPV (? = 0.886, p < .001), and anxious attachment significantly moderated this relationship (?R² = 0.028, p = .006). The moderation effect was found to be buffering in nature, indicating that the effect of vulnerable narcissism on IPV decreased as anxious attachment increased, with regression slopes of 0.104, 0.085, and 0.066 at low, average, and high levels of anxious attachment, respectively. These findings were interpreted through the inhibitory pathway proposed by the I3 Model while also considering the possibility of a statistical suppression effect due to the strong correlation between the two predictors (r = .810). The reduction in overt aggression at higher levels of anxious attachment should not be interpreted as an indicator of a healthy relationship. Rather, the findings suggest that violence may not disappear but instead shift in expression, where aggression that might otherwise be directed toward a partner may be internalized as psychological distress experienced by the individual.
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