Validation of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Active Commuting to and from School (BPNS-ACS) Scale in Spanish young people

Introduction Autonomy, competence, and relatedness need satisfaction has been associated with several health-related outcomes in multiple life domains. However, no studies have analysed the role of these needs in an active commuting to and from school context. Grounded in self-determination theory, this research aimed to adapt the Spanish physical education version (Moreno-Murcia et al., 2008) of the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale (Vlachopoulos and Michailidou, 2006) to active commuting to and from school and test its psychometric properties among a sample of Spanish children and adolescents. Method A total of 675 students (318 boys and 357 girls; Mage = 13.14, SD = 1.78) participated in this study. Results The confirmatory factor analysis showed better fit indexes for a 12-item three-factor model (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) which remained invariant across gender and age. The reliability analysis showed acceptable internal consistency and temporal stability for each of the three factors. Structural equation modelling showed that autonomy, competence, and relatedness need satisfaction positively predicted active commuting to and from school. Conclusions The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Active Commuting to and from School Scale is the first valid and reliable instrument to measure the three basic psychological needs satisfaction in active commuting to and from school among Spanish young people.