Affirming Basic Psychological Needs Promotes Mental Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak

By K. Cantarero, Wijnand Adriaan Pieter Van Tilburg, Ewelina Smoktunowicz. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 2020

104 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We tested if challenges to basic psychological needs (BPN) for autonomy, competence, and relatedness during the COVID-19 pandemic undermine people’s mental well-being. Furthermore, we tested if an intervention, affirmation of these psychological needs, enhances mental well-being. Results of Study 1 (N = 153) showed that higher levels of satisfaction of BPN were related to higher well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. In Study 2 (N = 215), we employed an online intervention enhancing these BPN. We found increased mental well-being through bolstered relatedness in particular. The intervention also decreased perceived stress. Both studies showed that mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic is positively related to the ability to work as usual and the number of people contacted via phone or internet but not in person.

Subfields: Applied Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/dd48867c4c0a68e7b72771fae0681a688c5a808d

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Applied Psychology

1. Maarten Vansteenkiste
2. Frank Martela
3. Richard M. Ryan
4. Nelli Hankonen
5. Ute Stephan
6. Bart Soenens
7. Edward L. Deci
8. J. Reeve

In Clinical Psychology

1. Maarten Vansteenkiste
2. Richard M. Ryan
3. Frank Martela
4. Ute Stephan
5. Nelli Hankonen
6. Bart Soenens
7. Edward L. Deci
8. J. Reeve

In Social Psychology

1. Maarten Vansteenkiste
2. Frank Martela
3. Richard M. Ryan
4. Bart Soenens
5. Nelli Hankonen
6. Ute Stephan
7. Edward L. Deci
8. J. Reeve

Citations in the corpus

• Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Big Five Personality on Subjective and Psychological Well-Being (2020, unknown): “Nonetheless, there was some evidence of reduced levels of PWB, particularly in relation to autonomy and positive relations, which is consistent with the reduced freedoms and scope for social interaction during lockdown (Cantarero et al., 2020).”
• Motivating voluntary compliance to behavioural restrictions: Self-determination theory–based checklist of principles for COVID-19 and other emergency communications (2021, background): “, 2010), even in times when insecurity prevails as during the COVID-19 crisis (Cantarero et al., 2020; van der Kaap-Deeder et al., 2020; Vermote et al., 2020).”
• Let’s Focus on Solutions to Entrepreneurial Ill-Being! Recovery Interventions to Enhance Entrepreneurial Well-Being (2021, background): “An intervention that reminded participants of how they have recently satisfied their basic psychological needs (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) during the crisis was also associated with an increase in mental well- being and a decrease in perceived stress (Cantarero et al., 2020).”