Adolescents as active managers of their own psychological needs: The role of psychological need crafting in adolescents’ mental health

ABSTRACT Introduction Satisfaction of adolescents' basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness contributes to their well‐being. Socialization figures (e.g., parents) can assist adolescents in getting these needs met. In addition, adolescents can engage in need crafting, thereby proactively managing their behavior towards improved need satisfaction. This research aimed to develop a need crafting measure and to examine the role of need crafting in adolescents’ need‐based experiences and mental health. Method A cross‐sectional study in 233 Flemish students (Study 1; M age = 16.6, 58.4% female) addressed the psychometric properties of a need crafting measure and its associations with relevant constructs. Using a three‐wave longitudinal study in 436 Flemish students (Study 2; M age = 16.33, 66,0% female), we investigated the role of need crafting in adolescents’ mental health and the intervening role of need‐based experiences. Results In Study 1, a CFA yielded evidence for the psychometric quality of the need crafting measure. Need crafting was related in meaningful ways with different validation constructs and with adolescents' need‐based experiences. Study 2 showed that need crafting was related to adolescents’ mental health, both at the level of inter‐individual differences and at the level of intra‐individual change. Need‐based experiences accounted partly for the mental health benefits associated with need crafting, with the effects remaining significant after controlling for perceived maternal need‐support. Conclusion The findings provide initial evidence for the importance of adolescents' need crafting in mental health. Future research needs to further examine factors that determine adolescents’ ability to manage their own psychological needs.