THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MALADAPTIVE PARENTING AND DARK TRIAD TRAITS IN CHILDREN LIVING IN DESTITUTE

Abstract

In the current research, the connection between maladaptive parenting and Dark Triad traits of machine, narcissism and psychopathy in children dwelling in a destitute setting in Lahore, Pakistan were examined. Children in poor communities tend to lack uniform caregiving and emotional support, as well as, this can be a factor leading to the emergence of socially aversive personality traits. They used a correlational research design and a sample of 300 children (150 male, 150 female) who had been recruited at child protection and welfare bureau, Lahore through purposive sampling. Children that were 10-17 years of age, had a minimum of six months living at the Bureau, comprehending questionnaires, and inclusion criteria were used, but those with severe psychiatric problems or cognitive disabilities were excluded. The Maladaptive Parenting Questionnaire and the Dark Triad Children Inventory were used to retrieve the data. The statistical tests consisted of descriptive statistics, reliability test, Pearson, and multiple regression tests in SPSS v26. Findings revealed that there were strong positive relationships between maladaptive parenting and all the three Dark Triad factors (p < .001), where maladaptive parenting was found to significantly predict Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Findings indicate that parenting interventions and psychosocial support in child welfare institutions should be used to reduce the occurrence of socially aversive traits. The findings help in the learning about psychosocial and cultural factors of personality development among high-risk children.