From perceived autonomy support to intentional behaviour: Testing an integrated model in three healthy-eating behaviours

Abstract

A motivational model integrating self-determination theory, the theory of planned behaviour, and the health action process approach was tested in three samples in three behavioural contexts: fruit and vegetable, breakfast, and snack consumption. Perceived support for autonomous (self-determined) forms of motivation from parents and autonomous motivation from self-determination theory were hypothesised to predict intention and behaviour indirectly via the mediation of attitude and perceived behavioural control from the theory of planned behaviour. It was also expected that planning strategies would mediate the effect of intention on behaviour. Relations in the proposed models were expected to be similar across the behaviours. A two-wave prospective design was adopted. Three samples of high-school students (total N = 1041; 59.60% female; M age = 17.13 years ± 1.57) completed measures of perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation, theory of planned behaviour constructs, planning strategies and behaviour for each of the three behavioural contexts. Three months later, 816 participants (62,24% female; M age: 17.13 years, SD = 1.58) of the initial sample self-reported their behaviour referred to the previous three months. Structural equation models provided support for the key hypothesised effects of the proposed model for the three health-related behaviours. Two direct effects were significantly different across the three behaviours: the effect of perceived autonomy support on perceived behavioural control and the effect of attitude on intention. In addition, planning strategies mediated the effect of intention on behaviour in fruit and vegetable sample only. Findings extend knowledge of the processes by which psychological antecedents from the theories affect energy-balance related behaviours.

Autonomy Supportive Contexts, Autonomous Motivation, and Self-Efficacy Predict Academic Adjustment of First-Year University Students

“…Individuals driven by intrinsic motivation toward a particular activity, will perform that activity for the pleasure or interest for the activity itself, whereas individuals guided by non self-determined or controlled motivation will perform the activity because they feel pressured to do so by external forces (Deci and Ryan, 2000;Ryan and Deci, 2017). Several studies in various behavioral domains have shown that autonomous motivation has a positive effect on the implementation of a behavior and on the persistence with (Girelli et al, 2016;Hagger and Chatzisarantis, 2016;Galli et al, 2018). Although most studies did investigate the academic adjustment outcomes of students from different levels of schooling in a SDT perspective, little is known about firstyear undergraduate students who face specific difficulties in the transition to university, especially in Italy where, with some exceptions, university admission is not based on a test and, within the degree courses, the curricula are very strict and they do not let the students choose which lectures to follow (Aina, 2013).…”

Autonomous Motivation and Fruit/Vegetable Intake in Parent–Adolescent Dyads

“…17,18 In one study, perceived autonomy support from parents was indirectly associated with adolescents' behavior intentions (including for FV intake) through autonomous motivation and theory of planned behavior constructs. 19 However, research has not examined how parents' and adolescents' individually reported motivation affects both their own behavior and each other's behavior.…”

Health behavioral theories used to explain dietary behaviors in adolescents: a systematic review

“…These constructs also presented an important correlation with children and adolescents in cross-sectional and longitudinal (i.e., non-experimental) designs [15,[54][55][56][57][58]. Although this review presented some studies with longitudinal design, the majority of them were cross-sectional, making it difficult to provide enough support to predict the construct validity [24].…”