(PS9-D88) Unmet Psychological Needs, Emotion Reactivity, and Within-person Desire to Escape

Introduction: Mental health and well-being among college students is a major public health concern, warranting better understanding of risk factors and improved prevention efforts. Both thwarted basic psychological needs (BPN) and emotion reactivity have been identified as risk factors for the onset and maintenance psychopathology, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). The desire to escape has been posited to play a role in BPN and emotion reactivity, though the relationship between these constructs together is yet to be explored. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a novel data collection method which elucidates the momentary and dynamic relationships that different risk factors. In this study, we utilized EMA to explore how two well-established risk factors, thwarted BPN and emotion reactivity, relate to within-person feelings of escapism.

Methods: Undergraduate students (n=461) from a large university were asked to complete 6x daily EMA surveys as part of a larger study. During the baseline survey, participants were asked to complete self-report measures of basic psychological need fulfillment and emotion dysregulation. Then, each day at 6 different timepoints, participants were asked to report the extent to which they felt they wanted to escape.

Results: Our sample of 461 students completed assessment on a total of 14,351 days across the study period. Each subscale of thwarted BPN was significantly associated with desire to escape feelings (Autonomy: OR=1.14, 95% CI=1.08, 1.20, p< 0.0001; Relatedness: OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.05, 1.20, p< 0.0001; Competency: OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.07, 1.18, p< 0.0001). Similarly, emotion reactivity was significantly associated with the desire to escape one’s feelings (OR=1.02, 95% CI=1.01, 1.03, p< 0.0001). The interaction between any unmet BPN and emotion reactivity was not significantly associated with within-person desire to escape.  

Conclusion: Unmet BPN and emotion reactivity, respectively, are associated with within person feelings of escapism. Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these relationships, as well as any other risk factors that may be associated with escapism.