Measuring Psychological Need States in Sport: Theoretical Considerations and a New Measure

Research guided by Self-determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2017) has repeatedly demonstrated the importance of focusing on both the bright (satisfaction) and dark (frustration) sides of the three basic psychological needs. Recently, researchers have also argued for the utility of assessing a third need state, that of “unfulfillment”. In this paper, we outline an effort to develop and provide initial validity evidence for scores of a new multidimensional and sport-specific measure, the Psychological Need States in Sport-Scale (PNSS-S), to assess the satisfaction, frustration, and unfulfillment of all three needs. In Study 1, we tested evidence for the factorial structure of the responses to the newly developed items, and provided evidence for the internal consistency and discriminant validity of the subscale scores. Factor models incorporating all three need states showed poor fit with the data. However, following post-hoc modifications, a six-factor, 29-item model assessing the need states of satisfaction and frustration, separately for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, was found to have good fit to the data. The model was refined and the factor structure was re-tested using an independent sample of athletes in Study 2. Evidence for the nomological network of the six subscales of the new measure was demonstrated in Study 2, in terms of relations with athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ interpersonal behaviors, and key motivation-related outcomes. In conclusion, a tripartite conceptualization of the need states was not empirically supported. Nevertheless, , the PNSS-S makes a unique contribution to the sport literature, as it represents the first sport-specific measure of six distinct, yet, correlated states of the satisfaction and frustration of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs.