Changes in basic psychological needs, passion, and well-being of first-semester graduate students

Abstract

Objective

Examine changes in graduate student health and well-being in the first semester.

Participants

Full-time, first-semester graduate students (N = 74) from a midsized midwestern university.

Method

Graduate students were surveyed prior to starting their master’s program and 10 weeks later. Passion for academics, basic psychological needs, physical and mental health symptoms, positive and negative affects, and quality of life were assessed.

Results

Need satisfaction, harmonious passion, and indicators of well-being decreased across the first semester, whereas need frustration and indicators of ill-being increased over the first semester. Obsessive passion, harmonious passion, need satisfaction, and need frustration were associated with students’ well-being at the end of the semester, with need frustration being the most robust predictor.

Conclusions

Although most graduate students reported good general health and moderately low mental health symptoms, findings suggest that a need supportive environment may contribute to better health and well-being.

Keywords:

• Graduate students
• mental health
• passion
• psychological needs
• self-determination
• well-being

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 University of Minnesota.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota Duluth.