How could they feel good? The role of psychological needs satisfaction in the relationship between stressors and ill-being

Abstract

Drawing on Job Demands-Resources and Self-Determination theories, this study investigates the relationship between two categories of environmental stressors (operational and organizational) and two indicators of ill-being (burnout and mental health complaints). It also studies the moderating role of psychological needs satisfaction in this relationship. The results showed that environmental stressors are positively related to burnout and mental health complaints in a sample of 345 Romanian correctional officers. Also, high needs for autonomy and relatedness moderated the relationship between stressors and ill-being. Satisfaction of the need for competence, in turn, did not moderate this relationship. This research demonstrates the essential role that satisfying psychological needs plays for the correctional officers' ill-being. The buffering roles of satisfaction of the needs for autonomy and relatedness in the stressor-strain relationship elicits a better understanding of the psychological resources that help maintain low levels of burnout and mental health complaints.