Basic psychological needs satisfaction: an international examination of invariance across 22 languages and 32 countries

Basic psychological needs are purported to be essential ingredients to human well-being. In recent years, the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) has arguably emerged as the most widely used measure of Basic Psychological Needs. Since its original publication in 2015, the BPNSFS has been translated across multiple languages, applied in numerous settings, and adapted to various contexts. Nonetheless, limited research has examined the psychometric qualities of the scale in a global context. Accordingly, the present work sought to establish the measurement invariance of the BPNSFS across 32 countries and 22 languages. Additionally, this study examined such invariance across gender and sexual orientation. Using data (N = 76,597) from a recently collected international consortium (The International Sex Survey), the structure and psychometric properties of the BPNSFS were evaluated. Across nationalities, languages, sexual orientations, and gender identity, the original, 6-factor structure of the BPNSFS was found to demonstrate partial-to-strong measurement invariance. Collectively, these results provide support for the 6-factor structure of the inventory and suggest that the measure is a reliable measure of basic psychological needs across the globe, further illustrating the cross-cultural utility of the scale.