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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Association between support of basic psychological needs and stress response as mediated by motivation for solitude
Gen Takagi1, Michiaki Shibata1, Yumi Nakagawa2
1Faculty of Comprehensive Welfare, Tohoku Fukushi University, Sendai, Japan.
Abstract:
This study examined the relationship between not self-determined / self-determined solitude and stress responses, as well as the effect of supporting / thwarting of basic psychological needs. The sample consisted of 606 Japanese people aged 20 years and older. We used a cross-sectional survey to measure their motivations for solitude, supporting / thwarting of basic psychological needs, and stress responses. Not self-determined solitude was negatively correlated with supporting of basic psychological needs and positively correlated with thwarting of basic psychological needs. In addition, a cutoff score of 16 for not self-determined solitude was found to be optimal for identifying individuals with a high stress response. Mediation analysis revealed that supporting / thwarting of basic psychological needs has direct effects on stress responses and indirect effects mediated by not self-determined solitude. These findings suggest that fostering environments that support basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness can alleviate not self-determined solitude and reduce stress responses.
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