The basic psychological need support in physical therapy questionnaire.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Rehabilitation Science
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Existing measures for basic psychological needs lack comprehensive validation for injury rehabilitation.
• Psychological need support is crucial for effective patient recovery and adherence in physical therapy.
• Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides a framework for understanding motivation and well-being in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate a new inventory measuring patients' perceptions of basic psychological needs support in physical therapy.
• To address the limitations of current measurement tools for psychological needs within the rehabilitation context.
• To create a reliable and valid instrument for assessing SDT-based need support in physical therapy.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted, utilizing Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as the guiding theoretical framework.
• Study 1 involved expert review by SDT academics to refine items for content relevance, representativeness, and clarity.
• Study 2 employed confirmatory factor analysis on data from 199 physical therapy patients to determine the optimal measurement model.

Main Results:

• A 10-item, 3-factor structure of the Basic Psychological Needs Support in Physical Therapy Questionnaire (BPNS-PT) demonstrated a good fit with the collected data.
• The developed measure exhibited evidence of internal consistency, indicating reliability.
• Initial psychometric validation supports the BPNS-PT's utility in measuring patient-perceived psychological need support.

Conclusions:

• The Basic Psychological Needs Support in Physical Therapy Questionnaire (BPNS-PT) is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing patient perceptions of psychological need support.
• The BPNS-PT provides a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians aiming to enhance patient experiences and outcomes in physical therapy.
• This new measure contributes to the literature by offering a validated inventory aligned with Self-Determination Theory in the context of physical rehabilitation.