Associations of psychological needs with alcohol use and related outcomes

Self-determination theory provides a useful framework for understanding engagement and change in health behaviors and has informed efficacious health intervention, but applications to alcohol use are limited. In the present research, we test hypotheses that greater satisfaction of the psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) is associated with protective factors for alcohol use, whereas greater need frustration is associated with risk factors.

In Studies 1 and 2, convenience samples of college students across the United States completed a cross-sectional survey (Study 1: n = 1,401; M_age = 20.6, SD = 4.0; 73.3% female; 60.3% non-Hispanic White; Study 2: n = 2,276; M_age = 21.1, SD = 5.0; 70.4% female; 52.4% non-Hispanic White). In Study 3, a national sample of U.S. adults completed five surveys over 2 years (n = 1,719; M_age = 49.0, SD = 15.4; 57.4% men; 71.8% non-Hispanic White).

In Studies 1 and 2, we found small associations of greater need satisfaction with more engagement in alcohol harm reduction behaviors, lower alcohol use severity, and fewer alcohol problems; need frustration demonstrated the opposite pattern of associations. In Study 3, we found large positive associations between need frustration and alcohol use severity at each time point, and a large positive association between change in need frustration and change in alcohol use severity.

These findings suggest preliminary support for associations between psychological needs and alcohol use and related outcomes that may lead to future research on alcohol intervention development and refinement based on self-determination theory. However, further research is needed, especially examination of psychological needs in the context of alcohol use or changes in alcohol use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).