Support for the basic psychological needs and satisfaction with health and quality of life in college students with disabilities

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the level of perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and satisfaction with health and quality of life among undergraduate college students with disabilities. Method: 286 postsecondary students with disabilities were surveyed in the spring of 2019. Cross-sectional data was analyzed to assess the relationship between students’ perceived support for their basic psychological needs and their satisfaction with health and quality of life. Results: Results of the analyses revealed that perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness statistically significantly predicted satisfaction with health and quality of life. Conclusions: The results of this study provide key insights into the nature of the relationship between support for malleable psychosocial factors within the college context and student satisfaction with their health and quality of life in the college context.

Keywords:

• College students with disabilities
• health
• quality of life
• self-determination

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of The United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of The Pennsylvania State University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.