Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships among spousal autonomy support and the well-being and the depression, mediated by basic psychological needs of married women based on the self-determination theory. Married women(N = 443) completed self-report questionnaires on autonomy support, basic psychological needs, well-being, and depression. The data of 427 was analyzed using a structural equation modeling analysis. The main results are as follows. First, the spousal autonomy support had a positive effect on married women’s well-being, mediated by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and had a negative effect on depression. Second, it was found that the spousal autonomy support negatively affects depression, mediated by the frustration of basic psychological needs. Third, it was found that the frustration of basic psychological needs of married women had a positive effect with depression, but was not statistically significant with well-being. The implications of this study are significant in that empirical evidence of self-determination theory has been extended to the domain of married women and can be used as basic data for psychotherapy intervention of married women.