Subjective achievement experiences at work and reduced depressivity: the mediating role of psychological need satisfaction

Abstract

ABSTRACT Achievements at work play important roles with regard to employees’ well-being and health. Based on conservation of resources theory, the success-resource model and self-determination theory, this paper investigates how subjective occupational achievement experiences (task-related and prosocial) relate to employees’ psychological well-being (i.e., depressivity). We hypothesize differential mediating effects via the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Over a course of four consecutive weeks, 260 employees provided weekly diary data (942 observations) that were analysed using multilevel structural equation modelling. At the within-persons level, results showed that relatedness need satisfaction mediated the negative relationship between prosocial achievement experiences and depressivity, while competence need satisfaction mediated the negative relationship between task-related achievement experiences and depressivity. This study contributes to the research proposing achievement experiences as a beneficial resource in the health promotion process and reinforces the call to differentiate between the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.