Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 24, No. 2, 2005, pp.

280-292
VÉRONNEAU
NEED SATISFACTION
ET AL. AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING

INTRINSIC NEED SATISFACTION AND

WELL–BEING IN CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS: AN APPLICATION OF THE
SELF–DETERMINATION THEORY
MARIE–HÉLÈNE VÉRONNEAU, RICHARD F. KOESTNER,
AND JOHN R.Z. ABELA
McGill University

Self–determination theory states that satisfaction of the needs for autonomy, com-
petence, and relatedness promotes well–being, with each need making an inde-
pendent contribution to well–being. Although this prediction has been supported
in studies with college students and adults, no study has examined the contribution
of each need to concurrent and future levels of well–being in children and adoles-
cents. The current study examined the relation of need satisfaction to concurrent
and future levels of well–being in a sample of 331 third and seventh graders. Satis-
faction of the need for autonomy was associated with concurrent positive and neg-
ative affect. Satisfaction of the need for competence was associated with
concurrent positive and negative affect and depressive symptoms, as well as future
levels of negative affect and depressive symptoms. Satisfaction of the need for relat-
edness was associated with concurrent and future levels of positive affect. These re-
sults suggest that during middle childhood and early adolescence, as at other
developmental stages, satisfaction of all three needs is associated with well–being.

Self–determination theory (SDT) proposes that humans have three basic

psychological needs, each of them being essential because it contributes
independently to healthy psychological growth (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
These are the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Feeling
autonomous refers to having a sense of choice, initiative, and endorse-

Marie–Hélène Véronneau is now at the Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Mal-

adjustment, University of Montreal.
This article is based on the first author’s honors thesis.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Marie–Hélène
Véronneau, Research Unit on Children’s Psychosocial Maladjustment, University of Mon-
treal, 3050 Édouard–Montpetit Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1J7. E–mail:
marie–[email protected].

280
NEED SATISFACTION AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING 281

ment of the activities one performs. Feeling competent corresponds to

having a sense of mastery over one’s capacity to act in the environment.
Relatedness refers to feelings of closeness and connectedness to
significant others.
A number of studies have demonstrated a significant relation between
need satisfaction and well–being outcomes in adult samples. Baard
(2002) found that in a sample of working American adults, satisfaction
of each of the three needs independently contributed to lower levels of
depression and anxiety. Deci et al. (2001b) showed a similar pattern of
relations with anxiety in a sample of Bulgarian workers. La Guardia,
Ryan, Couchman, and Deci (2000) found that college students’ security
of attachment was significantly associated with autonomy, competence,
and relatedness. Kasser and Ryan (1999) examined need satisfaction
among elderly nursing home residents. They found that satisfaction of
the need for relatedness was associated with higher levels of positive
well–being and was marginally associated with levels of life satisfaction.
Satisfaction of the need for autonomy was associated with lower depres-
sion, higher vitality, more life satisfaction, and higher levels of positive
well–being. The satisfaction of the need for competence, however, was
not assessed.
Prospective studies that used daily experience methods also support
the relation of need satisfaction to well–being. Sheldon, Ryan, and Reis
(1996) performed a first prospective study on daily well–being which re-
vealed that autonomy and competence contributed independently to
well–being. In fact, higher levels of trait competence best predicted low
levels of negative affect, whereas higher levels of trait autonomy best
predicted high levels of positive affect and vitality. A more recent study
of daily well–being included the need for relatedness and found similar
results (Reis, Sheldon, Gable, Roscoe, & Ryan, 2000).
Although these studies illustrate the association of need satisfaction to
overall well–being, their generalizability to children and young adoles-
cents remains untested.
Ryan and Deci (2000) clearly state that SDT applies, in principle, to in-
dividuals of all age groups: “the basic needs for competence, autonomy,
and relatedness must be satisfied across the life span for an individual to
experience an ongoing sense of integrity and well–being” (p. 75). Indi-
rect support for the importance of autonomy, competence, and related-
ness in children and early adolesents can be gleaned from studies that
explored these constructs separately and without a direct assessment of
levels of satisfaction with need fulfillment.
Many studies have found that autonomy–supportive contexts are as-
sociated with better well–being among children. Ryan and Grolnick
(1986) and Wiest, Wong, and Kreil (1998) found that self–esteem and
282 VÉRONNEAU ET AL.

self–worth are higher in students when their teachers allow them to be

more autonomous. In a study of teenagers, Noom, Dekovic, and Meeus
(1999) found that higher levels of autonomy were associated with lower
levels of depressed mood and higher self–esteem. In contrast, parental
controllingness has been associated with depression in children (Miller,
Birnbaum, & Durbin, 1990).
Competence and relatedness have also been associated with greater
well–being among children. Several studies showed that higher per-
ceived competence was associated with lower levels of depressive
symptoms (Cole, 1991; Cole, Martin, & Powers, 1997; Seroczynski, Cole,
& Maxwell, 1997). Regarding relatedness, it was found that attachment
to parents and support from the family is associated with lower levels of
depressive symptoms (Crocker & Hakim–Larson, 1997; Toth &
Cicchetti, 1996), and attachment to parents and peers is associated with
higher self–esteem (Noom et al., 1999).
In sum, there is considerable evidence that autonomy, competence,
and relatedness are associated with well–being in children and adoles-
cents; however, most studies have not explicitly assessed levels of need
satisfaction and used this information to predict well–being outcomes.
Importantly, previous studies have also failed to simultaneously assess
all three needs when trying to predict well–being.

PRESENT STUDY
The current study examined need satisfaction and well–being in a sam-
ple of children and early adolescents. It was hypothesized that satisfac-
tion of each of the three basic psychological needs would have a unique
contribution to levels of overall concurrent well–being. Furthermore, it
was hypothesized that initial levels of need satisfaction would predict
well–being at a 6–week follow–up. Exploratory analyses were per-
formed to examine the effect of overall need satisfaction within different
life domains.

METHOD
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 331 students from various schools of the English Montreal
School Board participated. Participants consisted of 135 third graders (68
boys and 67 girls) and 196 seventh graders (114 boys and 82 girls). The eth-
nic origin of the participants was distributed as follows. Among third
graders, 74.8% were of European origin, 1.5% were of African origin, 2.2%
were of Native American origin, 2.2% were of Hispanic origin, 3.7% were
NEED SATISFACTION AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING 283

of Asian origin, and 15.6% belonged to another ethnic group. Among sev-
enth graders, 58.3% were of European origin, 18.3% were of African ori-
gin, 1.7% were of Native American origin, 1.7% were of Hispanic origin,
12.8% were of Asian origin, and 7.2% belonged to another ethnic group.

MEASURES
Children’s Intrinsic Needs Satisfaction Scale (CINSS; Koestner &
Véronneau, 2001). This 18–item questionnaire was adapted for the pres-
ent study from Deci et al.’s (2001a) Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale. This
questionnaire consists of three “need” subscales (i.e., Autonomy, Com-
petence, and Relatedness), and satisfaction of each need is assessed in
three different contexts (i.e., at home, at school, and with friends). Each
need subscale contains six items. Each item is a statement (e.g., “I feel I
have a choice about when and how to do my school work” for the Auton-
omy subscale, “I feel I do things well at home” for the Competence
subscale, and “My friends like me and care about me” for the Related-
ness subscale). Subjects choose whether each statement is “Not true for
me,” “Sort of true for me,” or “Very true of me.” Scores of 1, 2, and 3 are
assigned to these ratings, respectively. Total scores range from 18 to 54,
and subscales scores range from 6 to 18. Higher scores indicate higher
levels of need satisfaction.
Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1981). T h i s q u e s t i o n-
naire evaluates the presence and severity of cognitive, affective, and be-
havioral symptoms of depression. Although its original version in-
cludes 27 items, the item on suicidality was removed at a school
principal’s request, for a total of 26 items. Each item comprises three
statements describing feelings or thoughts, such as: (a) “I am sad once in
a while,” (b) “I am sad many times,” and (c) “I am sad all the time.” Par-
ticipants have to choose the statement that best represents their feelings
during the past week. Each item is scored 0, 1, or 2, with higher scores
representing greater severity of symptoms. Total scores range from 0 to
52. The author of the questionnaire (Kovacs, 1983) suggests that a score
of 13 indicates mild depression and a score of 19 indicates severe depres-
sion. Previous studies suggest that the CDI has satisfactory test–retest
reliability, internal consistency (Saylor, Finch, Spirito, & Bennett, 1984),
and concurrent validity (Kazdin & Petti, 1982; Saylor et al., 1984).
Children’s Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Depression Subscale
(CMAACL; Abela, Brozina, & Haigh, 2002; Abela & Taylor, 2003). T h i s
24–item questionnaire was adapted from Zuckerman and Lubin’s
(1965) Multiple Affect Adjective Check List. The questionnaire consists
of a list of self–descriptive adjectives reflecting depressed mood (e.g.,
sad, unhappy, gloomy) or the absence thereof (e.g., interested, good,
284 VÉRONNEAU ET AL.

lucky). Children are asked to indicate how they feel on the day of the
assessment by checking the items that best describe them. For the cur-
rent study, two subscales were created. Twelve items belong to the
Negative Affect subscale and the other 12 items belong to the Positive
Affect subscale. Items are scored 1 if selected and 0 if not selected, so
higher scores on each subscale reflect higher levels of the particular af-
fect measured. Total scores on each subscale range from 0 to 12. Abela
and Taylor (2003) reported that the CMAACL has high levels of inter-
nal consistency, and Abela et al. (2002) reported satisfactory levels of
concurrent validity.

PROCEDURE
After the study was approved by the school board, principals, and teach-
ers, letters describing the study and consent forms were sent to the par-
ents of third and seventh graders. Only children who brought back the
consent form signed by a parent and who gave their own assent took
part in the study.
Two assessments occurred 6 weeks apart. At each assessment, chil-
dren who participated were grouped together in a classroom where they
were given the questionnaires. The instructions were written on the
questionnaires, and research assistants also read them aloud to the third
graders (not to the seventh graders). There was one research assistant for
every 5 to 10 children. Research assistants were able to answer partici-
pants’ individual questions, and they were all trained to administer the
questionnaires in a standardized way. On the first assessment, the CDI,
the CMAACL and the CINSS were administered. On the second assess-
ment (6 weeks later), the CDI and the CMAACL were readministered.
Additional measures were administered, but they are not relevant to the
current study. At the end of the study, the assistants gave a workshop on
depression prevention to the children who had participated.

RESULTS
PRELIMINARY ANALYSES
Reliability of the CINSS. The reliability of each subscale was accept-
ably high. For the need subscales: Autonomy subscale, α = .71; Compe-
tence subscale, α = .76; Relatedness subscale, α = .76. For the domain
subscales: School subscale, α = .73; Home subscale, α = .71; Friends
subscale, α = .80.
Grade and Gender Effects. We performed 2 × 2 ANOVAs on grade
(third and seventh grade) and gender as between–subject factors on all
NEED SATISFACTION AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING 285

TABLE 1. Means and Standard Deviations for All Instruments

3rd Grade 7th Grade

Variable Boys Girls Boys Girls
CINSS–AUT 2.35 (.47) 2.36 (.47) 2.26 (.45) 2.27 (.45)
CINSS–COM 2.56 (.39) 2.67 (.32) 2.46 (.44) 2.40 (.44)
CINSS–REL 2.61 (.37) 2.78 (.28) 2.38 (.44) 2.42 (.38)
T1 CDI 8.05 (6.43) 8.03 (6.10) 8.49 (6.61) 9.84 (7.34)
T1 NEG–AFFECT .07 (.14) .08 (.17) .07 (.18) .11 (.19)
T1 POS–AFFECT .81 (.26) .80 (.25) .60 (.30) .53 (.29)
Note. CINSS–AUT: Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Autonomy subscale; CINSS–COM:
Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Competence subscale; CINSS–REL: Children’s Intrinsic
Need Satisfaction Scale, Relatedness subscale; T1 CDI: Children’s Depression Inventory, Time 1; T1
NEG–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Negative Affect subscale, Time 1; T1
POS–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Positive Affect subscale, Time 1.
Scores were averaged within each CINSS subscale, and higher numbers indicate higher need satisfac-
tion. For CDI, higher numbers indicate higher levels of depressive symptoms. Scores were averaged
within each CMAACL subscale. For NEG–AFFECT and POS–AFFECT, higher numbers indicate
higher levels of negative and positive affect, respectively.

of the Time 1 variables. Scores are reported in Table 1. These ANOVAs

revealed no grade, gender, or Grade × Gender interaction effects ap-
proaching significance (p < .10) for depressive symptoms and negative
affect. A highly significant grade effect emerged on the ANOVA of posi-
tive affect, F(1, 322) = 57.69, p < .001. As can be seen in Table 1, third grad-
ers reported higher levels of positive affect than seventh graders. There
was no gender effect and no Grade × Gender interaction effect for
positive affect.
The ANOVA of the three need measures revealed a number of signifi-
cant or marginally significant effects. A marginally significant grade ef-
fect for autonomy, F(1, 301) = 2.80, p < .10, indicated that third graders re-
ported somewhat higher levels of autonomy than seventh graders. A
highly significant grade effect on competence, F(1, 301) = 14.33, p < .001,
indicated that third graders reported significantly higher levels of com-
petence than seventh graders. A marginal Grade × Gender interaction,
F(1, 301) = 3.11, p < .10, suggested that this age difference in competence
was particularly pronounced among girls rather than boys. A highly sig-
nificant grade effect emerged for relatedness, F(1, 301) = 40.44, p < .001,
indicating that third graders reported dramatically higher levels of satis-
faction for this need than seventh graders. Finally, a significant Gender
effect emerged, F(1, 301) = 5.05, p < .05, indicating that girls reported
significantly higher levels of satisfaction for this need than boys.
Correlations Among Measures. Table 2 presents the correlations among
all measures. It can be seen that the positive correlations existing among
286 VÉRONNEAU ET AL.

TABLE 2. Correlations Between All Measures

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1. CINSS–AUT — .64** .60** –.41** –.37** –.34** –.18* .37** .31**
2. CINSS–COM — .68** –.49** –.48** –.37** –.26** .41** .33**
3. CINSS–REL — –.41** –.40** –.33** –.18* .43** .39**
4. T1 CDI — .77** .54** .40** –.51** –.41**
5. T2 CDI — .49** .53** –.49** –.48**
6. T1 NEG–AFFECT — .49** –.40** –.28**
7. T2 NEG–AFFECT — –.23** –.40**
8. T1 POS–AFFECT — .67*
9. T2 POS–AFFECT —
Note . CINSS–AUT: Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Autonomy Subscale; CINSS–COM:
Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Competence Subscale; CINSS–REL: Children’s Intrinsic
Need Satisfaction Scale, Relatedness Subscale; T1 CDI: Children’s Depression Inventory, Time 1; T2
CDI: Children’s Depression Inventory, Time 2; T1 NEG–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple Affect Adjec-
tive Check List, Negative Affect Subscale, Time 1; T2 NEG–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple Affect Adjec-
tive Check List, Negative Affect Subscale, Time 2; T1 POS–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple Affect
Adjective Check List, Positive Affect Subscale, Time 1; T2 POS–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple Affect
Adjective Check List, Negative Affect Subscale, Time 2. *p < .01, **p < .001.

the three need measures were moderately high (r > .60; p < .01). It can also
be seen that depressive symptoms and negative affect were significantly
positively related to one another, but significantly negatively related to
positive affect. The relation between the need measures and the well–be-
ing outcomes will be described in the central analyses where regressions
were performed.

PRIMARY ANALYSES
Need Measures as Predictors of Concurrent Well–Being. To determine
whether each of the three needs made a unique contribution to concur-
rent well–being outcomes, three multiple regression analyses were per-
formed. Specifically, measures of depressive symptoms, negative affect,
and positive affect at Time 1 were simultaneously regressed on the need
satisfaction measures, after controlling for grade and gender.1 Table 3
presents the results of these regression analyses. First, it can be seen that
competence was the only significant predictor of concurrent depressive
symptoms. Second, both autonomy and competence emerged as signifi-

1. We also included two more blocks in all regression analyses to verify whether there
were any significant two–way interaction effects between need satisfaction and grade or
gender (step 4), or any significant three–way interaction between need satisfaction, grade,
and gender (step 5), but none was significant.
NEED SATISFACTION AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING 287

TABLE 3. Satisfaction of Each Need as Concurrent Predictors of Depressive Symptoms,

Positive Affect, and Negative Affect

CDI NEG–AFFECT POS–AFFECT

Order of Entry Variable β t β t β t
Set #1 Grade .06 1.22 –.05 –.78 –.27 –5.19***
Gender .10 1.92 .08 1.56 –.09 –1.90
Set #2 CINSS–AUT –.11 –1.68 –.15 –2.07* .15 2.21*
CINSS–COM –.34 –4.67*** –.23 –2.96** .15 2.01*
CINSS–REL –.15 –1.92 –.08 –.96 .17 2.23*

Note. CINSS–AUT: Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Autonomy subscale; CINSS–COM:
Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Competence subscale; CINSS–REL: Children’s Intrinsic
Need Satisfaction Scale, Relatedness subscale; CDI: Children’s Depression Inventory; NEG–AFFECT:
Children’s Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Negative Affect subscale; POS–AFFECT: Children’s
Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Positive Affect subscale. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

cant predictors of concurrent negative affect. Last, all three needs were
significant predictors of concurrent positive affect. All effects were in the
expected direction.
Need Measures as Predictors of Future Well–Being. To determine
whether need satisfaction had a long–lasting impact on well–being out-
comes, three multiple regression analyses were performed on well–be-
ing outcomes as measured 6 weeks later. Specifically, measures of de-
pressive symptoms, negative affect, and positive affect at Time 2 were
regressed on the need satisfaction measures at Time 1, after first entering
grade and gender in a first step of the regression.2 The pattern of results
was very similar to that found for concurrent well–being measures.
Competence was still the only significant predictor of depressive symp-

2. In order to verify whether the results would still be significant when controlling for
Time 1 measures of well–being, another set of regression analyses was performed. In these
analyses, the first step included not only grade and gender, but also participants’ scores on
well–being measures at Time 1. The pattern of results is exactly the same as when Time 1
measures are not included. That is, competence is the only significant predictor of depres-
sive symptoms at Time 2, t(6, 276) = –2.24, p < .05, and it is the only predictor of negative af-
fect at Time 2 that reaches marginal significance, t(6, 276) = –1.71, p < .10. Relatedness is the
only marginally significant predictor of positive mood at Time 2, t(6, 276) = 1.80, p < .10. The
effects are noticeably weaker, but this is an expected consequence of controlling for such a
strong predictor as previous levels of the dependent variables, which are all highly signifi-
cant: for Time 1 CDI, t(6, 276) = 16.22, p < .001; for Time 1 negative affect, t(6, 276) = 9.64, p <
.001; and for Time 1 positive affect, t(6, 276) = 11.87, p < .001.
288 VÉRONNEAU ET AL.

TABLE 4. Domains of Need Satisfaction as Concurrent Predictors of Depressive

Symptoms, Positive Affect and Negative Affect

CDI NEG–AFFECT POS–AFFECT

Order of Entry Variable t t t
Set #1 Grade –.08 –1.53 –.08 –1.42 –.26 –5.10***
Gender .10 1.90 .09 1.58 –.11 –2.24*
Set #2 CINSS–HOM –.23 –3.43*** –.20 –2.71** .00 .03
CINSS–SCH –.28 –3.75*** –.26 –3.29*** .37 5.16***
CINSS–FRI –.10 –1.50 –.02 –.25 .08 1.25

Note. CINSS–HOM: Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, Home subscale; CINSS–SCH: Chil-
dren’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale, School subscale; CINSS–FRI: Children’s Intrinsic Need Satis-
faction Scale, Friends subscale. CDI: Children’s Depression Inventory; NEG–AFFECT: Children’s
Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Negative Affect subscale; POS–AFFECT: Children’s Multiple
Affect Adjective Check List, Positive Affect subscale. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

toms, t(5, 278) = –4.77, p <.001, although relatedness almost became a sig-
nificant predictor, t(5, 278) = –1.96, p = .051. Whereas competence re-
mained a significant predictor of negative affect 6 weeks later, t(5, 278) =
–2.95, p < .01, autonomy did not, t(5, 278) = –.05, p = ns. Last, although all
three needs were significant predictors of concurrent positive affect,
only relatedness still predicted positive affect 6 weeks later, t(5, 278) =
2.54, p <.01 (for autonomy, t(5, 278) = 1.75, p = ns, and for competence, t(5,
278) = .71, p = ns).
Need Satisfaction in Specific Domains as Predictors of Concurrent
Well–Being. To determine whether need satisfaction in certain domains
had more impact on participants’ well–being, three multiple regression
analyses were performed. Specifically, measures of depressive symp-
toms, negative affect, and positive affect at Time 1 were simultaneously
regressed on need satisfaction at home, at school, and with friends, after
controlling for grade and gender. Note that for these analyses, the three
needs were combined within each domain. Table 4 presents the results
of these regression analyses. It can be seen that need satisfaction at home
and at school were significant predictors of concurrent depressive
symptoms and negative affect. Need satisfaction at school was the only
significant predictor of concurrent positive affect. It is noteworthy that
need satisfaction with friends was not significantly related to any aspect
of concurrent well–being.
Need Satisfaction in Specific Domains as Predictors of Future Well–Being.
To determine whether need satisfaction at home and at school are the
best predictors of future well–being outcomes, three multiple regression
NEED SATISFACTION AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING 289

analyses were performed. Specifically, measures of depressive symp-

toms, negative affect, and positive affect at Time 2 were regressed on
need satisfaction in each domain as measured at Time 1, after first enter-
ing grade and gender in a first step of the regression. The pattern of re-
sults was very similar to that found for concurrent well–being. In fact,
need satisfaction at home, t(5, 278) = –2.52, p < .05, and at school, t(5, 278)
= –3.41, p < .001, were still significant predictors of depressive
symptomatology at Time 2. However, the only significant predictor of
negative mood at Time 2 was need satisfaction at home, t(5, 278) = –2.19 ,
p < .05. Need satisfaction at school was no longer a significant predictor
of negative affect 6 weeks later, t(5, 278) = –1.08, p = ns; however, it was
still the only significant predictor of positive affect, t(5, 278) = 3.87, p <
.001.

DISCUSSION
The present results support the prediction that need satisfaction would
be associated with children’s well–being. The three needs were moder-
ately positively related to one another, and all three predicted at least
one aspect of concurrent well–being.
Satisfaction of the need for competence was a significant predictor of
concurrent levels of depressive symptoms. Satisfaction of the needs for
autonomy and competence was significantly negatively related to con-
current levels of negative affect. All three needs were significantly posi-
tively associated with concurrent levels of positive affect.
Similar, although somewhat weaker, results were obtained for the
Time 2 assessment of well–being. Satisfaction of the need for compe-
tence was the only significant correlate of future levels of depressive
symptoms and negative mood. Satisfaction of the need for relatedness
was significantly related to future levels of positive affect.
The pattern of contribution to both concurrent and future well–being
was somewhat different for each need. Satisfaction of the need for au-
tonomy contributed to concurrent levels of positive and negative mood,
but 6 weeks later it did not. Satisfaction of the need for competence con-
tributed to all aspects of concurrent well–being, but 6 weeks later it only
contributed to levels of depressive symptoms and negative mood. Satis-
faction of the need for relatedness contributed only to the levels of posi-
tive mood at the first assessment, and this pattern of contribution to
well–being was exactly the same 6 weeks later.
No major inconsistencies emerged between the results for the concur-
rent and the prospective data. In fact, the relations that became insignifi-
cant when using prospective data were initially the weakest ones. It is
likely that the measure of need satisfaction, which was administered
290 VÉRONNEAU ET AL.

only at Time 1, was less independent from the well–being measure ad-
ministered at Time 1 and more independent from the well–being mea-
sure administered 6 weeks later. Thus, comparing need satisfaction at
Time 1 with well–being at Time 2 offers a more stringent test of the im-
pact of each need on well–being. Moreover, this prospective design can
reveal the existence of stable relationships that cannot be detected when
measures are administered at only one point in time.
Competence stands out as the most important predictor of negative
well–being outcomes over time, because it predicted both depressive
symptoms and negative affect over a six–week period. Satisfaction of the
need for competence was also the best predictor of overall concurrent
well–being, because it was the only one that was significantly associated
with all three well–being outcomes. The relatively large contribution of
the satisfaction of the need for competence to well–being outcomes con-
currently and prospectively suggests that it may be the most important
psychological need in middle childhood and early adolescence. In line
with this idea, Cole (1991) and his colleagues (Cole et al., 1997) have de-
veloped a competency–based model of depression in children. Further
studies have shown how perceived incompetence increases vulnerabil-
ity to depression, whereas perceived competence acts as a buffer against
the development of depression (Seroczynski et al., 1997).
The developmental finding that satisfaction of the need for compe-
tence undergoes a significant decrease at the time of puberty suggests
that this phenomenon may be a precursor of the increase in depressive
disorders in adolescence. Furthermore, girls’ larger drop in perceived
competence may help explain why female adolescents are more vulner-
able to depression than male adolescents (Hankin et al., 1998).
The results of the analyses examining need satisfaction in separate do-
mains are somewhat surprising. Although some developmental re-
searchers highlight the central role played by peer socialization (e.g.,
Harris, 1995), our findings suggest that the extent to which children’s
and teenagers’ needs are satisfied by their parents and teachers is more
integral to their level of well–being. These results echo other researchers’
contention that parents play a more critical role relative to peers in the
well–being of teenagers than is commonly recognized (Ryan & Lynch,
1989).
The current study extended intrinsic need satisfaction research based
on SDT to a new population. It was shown that each of the basic psycho-
logical needs that are central to SDT contributes uniquely to children’s
and early adolescents’ well–being. A lack of satisfaction of the need for
competence seems to be a particularly strong predictor of negative out-
comes such as negative affect and depressive symptoms over time.
Thus, the treatment and prevention of depressive disorders in children
NEED SATISFACTION AND CHILDREN’S WELL–BEING 291

and young adolescents may need, among other things, to enhance

children’s felt competency.
In conclusion, the present study supports SDT’s assumption that satis-
faction of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness contrib-
utes to human well–being, and it extends its applicability to younger
populations. Furthermore, it shows that each need has an independent
contribution to children’s psychological well–being. Future research
should include a larger range of negative and positive outcome mea-
sures, some well–being assessments completed by peers or teachers, and
more than one follow–up assessment, which would include both need
satisfaction and well–being measures. Finally, as a further step toward
generalizing SDT to all age groups, a study involving subjects going
through early, middle, and late adolescence should be done.

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