A self-support approach to satisfy basic psychological needs during difficult situations.

We tested whether a self-support approach to satisfy basic psychological needs to increase students' basic need satisfaction, mindfulness, and subjective vitality, and decrease their need frustration, coronavirus, and test anxiety during the novel coronavirus and university final exams. Three hundred and thirty students (M age = 21.45, SD = 2.66) participated in this 6-day long experimental study and they were randomly allocated to either experimental (self-support approach, n = 176) or control (no-intervention) condition. Students completed the targeted questionnaires at the beginning (first day of the university final exams, Time 1) middle (3 days after the beginning of the study, Time 2), and the end of study (6 days after the beginning of the study, Time 3). Compared to students in the control condition, students in the experimental condition reported higher need satisfaction, mindfulness, subjective vitality, and lower need frustration, coronavirus, and test anxiety. Through a path analysis, the experimental condition predicted positively students higher need satisfaction, which in turn, predicted their higher subjective vitality, and lower coronavirus and test anxiety at Time 3. Results highlighted the importance of a self-support approach on students' outcomes during difficult situations, that have implications for theory and practice.

Autonomy-supportive exercise behaviors promote breast cancer survivors' well-being.

Background: Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), this pilot study aimed to test an autonomy-supportive exercise instructing style to promote hedonic (seeking comfort and pleasure) and eudaimonic (seeking to develop the best within one and pursue excellence)orientations, exercise motivation, and psychological well-being of breast cancer survivors. Methods: Twenty-four breast cancer survivors were randomized in either autonomy-supportive exercise instructing style (treatment condition) or usual exercise instructing style (control condition). The study consisted of a pre-intervention session followed by 22 exercise sessions and a post-intervention session. Hedonic and eudaimonic orientations, exercise motivation, and psychological well-being (subjective vitality) measured at baseline and post-intervention sessions. Results: As expected, participants in the treatment condition reported greater eudaimonic and hedonic orientations and subjective vitality compared to the participants in the control condition. The results showed no difference in exercise motivation across conditions. Conclusion: We concluded that the SDT-based intervention was successful in helping breast cancer survivors increase hedonic and eudaimonic orientations and subjective vitality. Practical and theoretical implications, along with limitations and future research suggestions are discussed inside.

Basic Psychological Need-Satisfying Activities during the COVID-19 Outbreak.

BACKGROUND: The rapidly spreading novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) worldwide may increase fear and stress, and has a cost for people's well-being and their motivation toward activities. In this study, we applied principles from Self-Determination Theory to develop and test activities to satisfy basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) to enhance the experience of need satisfaction, autonomous self-regulation, and subjective vitality, and to decrease the experience of need frustration, controlled self-regulation, amotivation, and perceived stress. METHOD: Using a 10-day experimental research design among an Iranian sample (N = 208, Mage  = 23.52, SD = 5.00), we randomly allocated participants to either an experimental (basic psychological need-satisfying activities intervention, n = 98) or a control (neutral comparison group, n = 110) condition. RESULTS: Repeated measure ANCOVA showed that participants in the experimental condition reported greater psychological need satisfaction, autonomous self-regulation, subjective vitality, and lesser psychological need frustration, amotivation, and perceived stress than did participants in the control condition. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the intervention was successful in helping participants enhance their motives and well-being and reduce their stress when life is surrounded by uncertainty and during social distancing restrictions.

Study of the role of regular physical activity on promoting hedonism and eudaimonia in breast cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: Individuals who have completed cancer treatment may have psychological and physical challenges. Participating in regular physical activity is considered as one of the most important factors for improving postcancer experience. AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of participating in physical activities on hedonism and eudaimonia among breast cancer survivors. METHODS: The research method was a semi-experimental design in the form of time-series using two experimental and control groups. 42 breast cancer survivors participated in this study in Urmia. Data using motives for activation of hedonism and eudiamonia (HEMA) were gathered before the intervention program (pre-test), at the end of intervention (the first post-test), and two weeks after the first post-test (the second post-test). For data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics (T-test, Chi-square, and repeated measures ANOVA) were used. RESULT: Repeated measures ANOVA analysis in the three different periods of pre-test, post-test, and a month later post-test showed that changes in the mean score of hedonism and eudaimonia motivation were not similar in the two groups and indicated the improvement of dialysis adequacy in the intervention group compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Generally, the results showed that participating in regular physical activity is an effective intervention on enhancing the motives for hedonism and eduaimonia in breast cancer survivors.

Prediction of intention to continue sport in athlete students: A self-determination theory approach.

Grounded on the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000) and achievement goals theory (Ames, 1992; Nicholls, 1989), this study via structural equation modelling, predicted intention to continue in sport from goal orientations and motivations among athlete students. 268 athlete students (Mage = 21.9), in Iranian universities completed a multi-section questionnaire tapping the targeted variables. Structural equation modelling (SEM) offered an overall support for the proposed model. The results showed that there are positive relationships between intention to continue in sport and both orientations as well as both motivations. A task-involving orientation emerged as a positive predictor of the autonomous motivation, while an ego-involving orientation was a positive predictor controlled motivation as well as autonomous motivation. The results also support positive paths between autonomous motivation and future intention to participate in sport. Autonomous motivation also was a positive mediator in relationship between task orientation and the intentions. As a conclusion, the implications of the task-involving orientation are discussabled in the light of its importance for the quality and potential maintenance of sport involvement among athlete students.