Factor structure and dimensionality of the balanced measure of psychological needs among Portuguese high school students. Relations to well-being and ill-being

•We examine the dimensionality of the Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs Scale (BMPN) among Portuguese high school students.•The criterion-related validity of the BMPN scales was further examined.•Autonomy, competence and relatedness need satisfaction positively predict subjective vitality.•Autonomy, competence and relatedness need frustration positively predict anxiety, depression and somatization.•Implications for educational interventions are discussed.

Previous research on the Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs Scale (BMPN) fitted a 5-factor structure distinguishing the three need factors of autonomy, competence and relatedness and the two method factors of need satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The current study explores the dimensionality and construct validity of the Portuguese version of the Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs (Sheldon & Hilpert, 2012) in two samples of high school students. We compared the original 5-factor model to three alternative models to assess the ability of each model to represent the factorial organization of the data. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a good fit for solutions that separately modeled the satisfaction and frustration components of needs. The best-fitting solution of six factors, one per subscale, was supported in both high school samples, and was also shown by multigroup analysis to be invariant across gender. Regression analyses found that basic need satisfaction was related to subjective vitality and satisfaction with life (SWL) and need dissatisfaction predicted anxiety, depression and somatization. The substantive distinction between the satisfaction and frustration components of needs, and implications for educational settings, are discussed. Overall, the Portuguese BMPN appears to be reliable and valid to measure basic need satisfaction and need frustration for Portuguese high school students.