Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, California.
Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California.
Stress Health. 2019 Aug;35(3):277-288. doi: 10.1002/smi.2860. Epub 2019 Apr 4.
Research on self-determination theory suggests that people have fundamental needs to feel autonomous, competent, and socially connected and that fulfilling these needs is critical for well-being. In the present study, we examined whether fulfilling psychological needs is associated with physical and psychological well-being-specifically sleep disruption and worry, two key indicators of well-being during waiting periods-while managing the unique stress of awaiting uncertain news. In a study of law graduates during the 4 months while they awaited their California bar exam (the exam one is required to pass before practicing law) results, personal increases in need fulfilment related to temporally congruent reductions in sleep disruption and worry. In addition, those whose needs were most fulfilled during the waiting period responded less negatively to failing the bar exam. The picture for need frustration was mixed; only autonomy frustration was associated with concurrent increases in worry, although those whose needs were more frustrated in general also experienced greater worry and sleep disruption on average. On the whole, our findings suggest that self-determination theory needs may be a fruitful target for interventions that can protect well-being while people wait and even once their uncertainty is resolved.
自我决定理论研究表明，人们有基本的需求，即感到自主、有能力和与社会有联系，满足这些需求对幸福感至关重要。在本研究中，我们考察了满足心理需求是否与身体和心理健康有关，特别是睡眠中断和担忧，这是等待期间幸福感的两个关键指标，同时还要应对等待不确定消息时的独特压力。在一项针对法律专业毕业生的研究中，他们在等待加利福尼亚律师考试（从事法律工作前必须通过的考试）结果的 4 个月期间，个人需求的满足与睡眠中断和担忧减少的时间一致性相关。此外，在等待期间需求满足度最高的人对律师考试不及格的反应不那么消极。需求受挫的情况则喜忧参半；只有自主权受挫与担忧的同时增加有关，尽管那些总体上需求受挫更严重的人通常也会经历更多的担忧和睡眠中断。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，自我决定理论的需求可能是一种有前途的干预目标，可以在人们等待时甚至在他们的不确定性得到解决后保护幸福感。
