The frequency of narcissistic traits in medical and psychology students in Poland and France

Background Research indicates that narcissistic traits negatively correlate with empathy and may significantly predict interpersonal behaviors. Narcissism is also associated with a higher risk of addiction and mental health issues, making its analysis among future healthcare workers particularly important. Participants and procedure A cross-sectional study was conducted using a quantitative method with the computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) technique on a group of 1,092 medical and psychology students in Poland and France. The NPI-40 test was used to analyze narcissism. The study was fully anonymous and voluntary. Students were invited to participate through university mailing systems and information posted on social media platforms. Results Our study found differences in NPI-40 scores based on gender, country, and field of study. Men scored higher than women in both France (M = 10.60, SD = 6.00) and Poland (M = 12.90, SD = 6.60), with a statistically significant gender effect. While medical students had slightly higher scores than psychology students, the difference was not significant. However, gender–field interactions varied by country: in France, male medical students scored higher than male psychology students, whereas in Poland, psychology students had higher scores than medical students. Despite these findings, the models explained only 5% of the variance in France and 3% in Poland, suggesting that other factors contribute to narcissism levels in this studied population. Conclusions These results may prove important in designing programs that support students’ mental health and interventions aimed at improving interpersonal relationships, especially in the case of Polish medical students.