Latent profiles of basic psychological needs and their associations with health risk behaviors among engineering college students

Objective Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to identify latent profiles of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) among engineering college students and to examine between-profile differences in health risk behaviors. Methods Using convenience sampling, 251 undergraduate engineering students at a university in Shandong Province, China, were surveyed between May and June 2021. Measures included basic psychological need satisfaction and seven health risk behavior indicators (unhealthy weight control, traffic risk behavior, bullying victimization, loneliness, suicide risk, smoking, and internet addiction). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to identify distinct need satisfaction patterns. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to compare health risk behaviors across profiles. Results Three latent profiles were identified: a low-need-satisfaction profile (74.5%), a moderate-need-satisfaction profile (19.9%), and a high-need-satisfaction profile (5.6%). MANOVA revealed a significant overall difference in health risk behaviors across profiles (Pillai’s Trace = 0.103, F = 1.88, p = 0.026). Specifically, significant between-profile differences were found for suicide risk ( F = 3.14, p = 0.045, η 2 = 0.025) and smoking ( F = 6.03, p = 0.003, η 2 = 0.046). Post hoc comparisons indicated that students in the low-need-satisfaction profile reported significantly higher suicide risk than those in the moderate-need-satisfaction profile ( p = 0.033), whereas students in the high-need-satisfaction profile reported significantly more frequent smoking than those in the low-need-satisfaction profile ( p = 0.013). Conclusion Basic psychological need satisfaction among engineering college students is heterogeneous, and students with low need satisfaction were associated with elevated suicide risk. These findings support SDT’s predictions regarding the association between need satisfaction and psychological adjustment, and provide preliminary evidence that may inform targeted mental health interventions in higher education.