Basic psychological need experiences, fatigue, and sleep in individuals with unexplained chronic fatigue

Abstract

Grounded in self-determination theory, this study tested the hypothesis that the satisfaction and frustration of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness would relate to fatigue and subjective and objective sleep parameters, with stress and negative sleep cognitions playing an explanatory role in these associations. During a stay at a sleep laboratory in Belgium, individuals with unexplained chronic fatigue (N = 160; 78% female) underwent polysomnography and completed a questionnaire at 3 different points in time (i.e., after arrival in the sleep lab, before bedtime, and the following morning) that assessed their need-based experiences and stress during the previous week, fatigue during the preceding day, and sleep-related cognitions and sleep during the previous night. Results indicated that need frustration related to higher stress, which in turn, related to higher evening fatigue. Need frustration also related to poorer subjective sleep quality and shorter sleep duration, as indicated by both subjective and objective shorter total sleep time and subjective (but not objective) longer sleep latency. These associations were accounted for by stress and negative sleep cognitions. These findings suggest that health care professionals working with individuals with unexplained chronic fatigue may consider focusing on basic psychological needs within their therapeutic approach.

Distinguishing between basic psychological needs and basic wellness enhancers: the case of beneficence as a candidate psychological need

“…These results replicate previous research (e.g. Campbell et al 2017;Chen, Vansteenkiste et al 2015) and further strengthen the evidence behind these three as being genuinely basic psychological needs in line with SDT's criteria.…”

“…In addition to contributing to ill-being, need frustration can lead to various types of compensatory behaviours such as oppositional defiance, rigid behavioural patterns, and loss of self-control (Vansteenkiste and Ryan 2013). Research has shown that need frustration is connected to various indicators of ill-being such as depression, negative affect and burnout (e.g., Bartholomew et al 2011), with each need frustration being uniquely connected to indicators of ill-being such as stress (Campbell et al 2017) and depressive symptoms (Chen, Vansteenkiste et al 2015; see also Cordeiro et al 2016).…”

Higher levels of stress and different coping strategies are associated with greater morning and evening fatigue severity in oncology patients receiving chemotherapy

“…Given that higher cumulative life stress was associated with increased allostatic load in healthy adults and in patients with irritable bowel syndrome [35], our findings of higher PSS SD, standard deviation scores in the Very High morning and evening fatigue classes, compared with the other classes, suggests that this mechanism may occur in oncology patients. Equally important, PSS scores were associated with greater fatigue severity in adults with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory bowel disease [36] and unexplained chronic fatigue [37]. Because these conditions and fatigue associated with cancer share inflammation as a common underlying mechanism, future studies need to examine the additive or synergistic effects of stress and inflammatory mechanisms on fatigue severity.…”

Two sides of the same coin: The differentiating role of need satisfaction and frustration in passion for screen‐based activities

“…Three outcomes (T oth-Kir aly, B} othe, T oth-F aber, H aga, & Orosz, 2017) were used for series watching: the adaptive (i) self-development, referring to learning languages through series watching (three items, e.g., "Series watching improved my language skills"; a = .85); the adaptive (ii) social interaction, referring to series watching as a topic of discussion in everyday conversations (three items, e.g., "Series are often discussed topics at my workplace/ school"; a = .69); and the maladaptive (iii) overuse, referring to the excessive amount of series being watched even if the individual does not have time to do so (three items, e.g., "I watch series even when I already should sleep"; a = .75). Second, general dimensions have been used in multiple studies involving basic psychological needs (e.g., Campbell et al, 2017;Costa et al, 2016;Krijgsman et al, 2017;Mabbe, Soenens, Vansteenkiste, & Van Leeuwen, 2016). Items were rated on a 7-point scale (1 = not true to me at all; 7 = completely true to me).…”

“…First, all models were re-analyzed (unreported) including the three individual factors (i.e., without the general ones), but these analyses yielded inconsistent relationship patterns, similar to those of Lalande et al (2017). Second, general dimensions have been used in multiple studies involving basic psychological needs (e.g., Campbell et al, 2017;Costa et al, 2016;Krijgsman et al, 2017;Mabbe, Soenens, Vansteenkiste, & Van Leeuwen, 2016).…”