A need-based approach to well-and ill-being among college students

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the varyingfunctions of basic needs satisfaction in predicting welland ill-being among college students using a choicetheory based perspective. A sample of 1150 collegestudents completed self-report measures of Satisfactionwith Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule,Beck Depression Inventory, and University Students’Basic Needs Scale. Path analysis model was performedto analyze the predictive relationships between researchvariables. Findings provided supportive evidence for themajor hypothesis of choice theory that as the basic needssatisfaction increases, the well-being increases, and theill-being decreases as well. However, functions of thebasic needs varied in predicting well-and ill-being.Actually, basic needs satisfaction was more effective inpredicting subjective well-being in comparison todepressive symptoms. The need for freedom emerged asthe foremost variable in predicting subjective wellbeing, and in predicting depression. Additionally,although the need for fun had a unique contribution tosubjective well-being in the path analysis model, itsmoderate contribution decreasingly disappeared inpredicting depression with the combined effect of partialcorrelations specifically including the needs for freedomand belonging.