title: Self-determination and first-episode psychosis: associations with symptomatology, social and vocational functioning, and quality of life.
abstract: Self-determination theory (SDT) postulates that satisfaction of three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and well-being) promotes motivation, well-being, and growth across domains of functioning. Thus, per SDT, we examined satisfaction of basic psychological needs among individuals with first-episode psychosis. First, we quantified the level of need satisfaction among a sample of individuals with first-episode psychosis and compared their level of need satisfaction to that of individuals without psychosis. Second, we examined the association between need satisfaction and several domains of well-being among individuals with first-episode psychosis (i.e., symptomatology, social/vocational functioning, and quality of life). Our results indicated that individuals with first-episode psychosis experience less satisfaction of basic psychological needs as compared to their same-aged counterparts. There was a modest association between need satisfaction and well-being among individuals with first-episode, with the need of relatedness being the need most frequently associated with indices of well-being. Although modest in scope, the results of the current study raise the possibility that further investigation of SDT among individuals with first-episode psychosis may reveal important strategies through which early intervention services can better promote well-being and recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724-5002, USA. breitbor@email.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Nicholas J K
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Breitborde
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kleinlein
authors.forename: Vinod H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Srihari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009790:Occupations; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012919:Social Behavior