Development and initial validation of the Psychological Need Frustration Scale for Physical Activity

BACKGROUND: The frustration of basic psychological needs can be detrimental to people’s health. To date, a scale developed specifically for measuring such perceived negative experiences, derived from a need thwarting environment in the physical activity context, is lacking. The present research attempted to develop and validate the Psychological Need Frustration Scale for Physical Activity (PNFS-PA) grounded in self-determination theory via multiple studies. METHOD: In Study 1, an item pool was created, and its face and content validity were established. In Study 2, the factor structure of the scale was demonstrated using exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM). In Study 3, its factor structure was cross-validated. Also, the nomological validity, reliability and measurement invariance of the scale were established. RESULT: Taken together, the research suggests the newly developed PNFS-PA is valid and reliable and can be applied to assess psychological needs frustration experiences in the physical activity context.