Basic Psychological Needs Scale in a Croatian Sample: A (Non)Questionable Structure and Scale Properties

Abstract

Basic Psychological Needs Theory, one of six mini-theories forming the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), postulates three innate and universal basic psychological needs: need for autonomy, need for competence, and need for relatedness. The SDT assumes non-unidimensionality of basic psychological needs satisfaction scales, but at the same time some authors form three scale scores and an additional composite general score as an index of general need satisfaction. In this study we wanted to test the plausibility of a general basic psychological needs satisfaction factor hypothesis. We wanted to address the fundamental psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale - General in more detail using the dataset of 668 individual self-assessed scores. Based on the reliability indicators (Cronbach’s alpha, Omega total, Greatest Lower Bound, Explained Common Variance) only relatedness and composite general score scales reach satisfactory levels. On the other hand, based on Exploratory Factor Analysis hierarchical models, there is no latent generalized factor of basic psychological needs satisfaction and three specific group factors of basic psychological needs. Hypothesis of a general factor, representing a global basic psychological needs satisfaction construct, seems non-plausible. It is difficult to make clear recommendations as to how a researcher in this field should form scale scores at this point, so two possible strategies for scale revision are discussed.