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Basic psychological needs, quality of motivation, and protective behavior intentions: a nationally representative
Meri Pietilä1,2, Kaisa Saurio1, Frank Martela3
1Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
|October 9, 2023
Summary
Understanding psychological needs is key to promoting COVID-19 protective behaviors. Fostering autonomous motivation, driven by need satisfaction, significantly increases intentions to wear masks and avoid social gatherings.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Self-Determination Theory provides a framework for understanding motivation.
- COVID-19 prevention measures require sustained behavioral adherence.
- Psychological need satisfaction influences health-related behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between basic psychological need satisfaction and motivation quality regarding COVID-19 protective behaviors.
- To investigate the relationship between motivation quality and intentions to wear face masks and avoid social gatherings.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 2272 Finnish adults (aged 18-79).
- Measures included psychological need satisfaction, motivation to adhere to COVID-19 measures, perceived risk, fear, and behavioral intentions.
- Statistical analyses included ANOVA, linear regression, and multinomial logistic regression, controlling for perceived risk and fear.
Main Results:
- All three basic psychological needs positively correlated with autonomous motivation (p < .001).
- Autonomous motivation was consistently linked to higher intentions for mask-wearing and avoiding social contact (OR = 1.82-3.55, p = .001).
- Controlled motivation and amotivation were associated with decreased protective behavior intentions.
Conclusions:
- Autonomous motivation, fostered by psychological need satisfaction, is crucial for promoting adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviors.
- Findings suggest that interventions focusing on need support can enhance voluntary adoption of public health measures.
- Enhancing autonomous motivation may improve compliance in situations lacking strict mandates.
Keywords:
COVID-19autonomous motivationbehavioral intentionprotective behaviorsself-determination theoryMore Related Videos
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