The balance of intrinsic need satisfaction across contexts as a predictor of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents

The purpose of the present study was to test the applicability of self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan in J Res Pers 19:109–134. doi: 10.1016/0092-6566(85)90023-6 , 1985; Can Psychol 49:182–185. doi: 10.1037/a0012801 , 2008) across developmental periods by differentiating children and adolescents on the importance of individual needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness) and the role of balance across contexts (i.e., home, school, peers) in predicting depressive symptoms. Participants completed the Children’s Intrinsic Need Satisfaction Scale (Koestner and Veronneau in The Children’s Intrinsic Needs Satisfaction Scale. McGill University, Montreal, 2001) and the Children’s Depression Inventory (Kovacs in Children’s depression inventory manual. Multi-Health Systems, North Tonawanda, 1992). Results indicated that only the need for competence was significantly related to depressive symptoms in the child sample (n = 149) whereas, the satisfaction of autonomy and relatedness were significant predictors in the adolescent sample (n = 153). In both samples, need balance across contexts was a significant predictor over and above the level of satisfaction of each individual need. Implications for clinical practice and for theory will be presented.