Development and validation of an indigenous self-rating Narcissistic personality disorder scale for adults in Urdu language

Objectives: To develop and validate an Urdu-language narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) scale for adults, ensuring robust psychometric properties aligned with Pakistan's cultural context. Methods: The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase of the study, a total of 234 participants, aged 19 years and above, were recruited using purposive sampling. The sample included both male and female individuals from clinical and non-clinical populations, drawn from various communities and institutions in Gujrat, Pakistan. An initial pool of 75 items was developed and administered to these participants. Following a systematic scale development process, the final version of the scale was refined to a 25-item self-report questionnaire. In the second phase, the psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated through reliability and validity testing. Results: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed a nine-factor structure, while Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) refined this to an eight-factor model with an acceptable model fit (CFI=0.926). The scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (α=0.922). The newly developed scale showed significant convergence with the Short Measure of Dark Triads narcissism subscale (r=0.570**). The findings support the scale as a promising diagnostic tool for clinical and research purposes. Conclusion: Narcissistic Personality Disorder scale is a reliable and valid tool designed to diagnose NPD, overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers by being developed in Urdu. This measure offers utility for researchers and clinicians working in diverse settings.