The Moderating Role of Autonomous Motivation on the Relationship between Subjective Well-Being and Physical Health.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderator effects of autonomous motivation on the relationship between subjective well-being and physical health. Using a cluster sampling approach 486 students (403 female and 83 male students) were included in this study. Subjective well-being, physical health and autonomous motivation were determined by self-report measures. Data were analysed using hierarchical regression analysis and analysis of variance. The results show that high self-determination moderates the relationship between high subjective well-being and physical health. Accordingly, the best physical health was reported by participants who had high level of subjective well-being and whose behaviours were self-determined. Additional analyses have shown that the moderating effect of self-determination is based on the moderational impact of autonomous motives and not the controlling ones. Additionally, whether autonomous motivation moderates the relationship between components of subjective well-being and physical health was also tested. The findings have shown that autonomous motives moderate relationship between physical health and one component of well-being, positive affect. Consequently, a good physical health was found among participants with high positive affect and behaviours regulated by high degree of autonomous motives. Conclusion which can be drawn from these findings is that if an individual behaves autonomously then it can contribute to positive mind-body influences and support their own health

The results of regression analyses in which autonomous and controlling motives were tested as the moderators of the relationship between subjective well-being and physical health.

<p>^a p< .050</p><p>^b p< .010</p><p>^c p<.001</p><p>^d Beta-how many standard deviations a dependent variable will change, per standard deviation increase in the predictor variable</p><p>^e R²- proportion of variance in the criterion variable explained by the predictor variable</p><p>^f ΔR2- difference in R² between previous and current step of the analysis</p><p>The results of regression analyses in which autonomous and controlling motives were tested as the moderators of the relationship between subjective well-being and physical health.</p

High RAI and high subjective well-being contribute to physical health.

<p> RAI …. low, <b>___</b> high.</p

High autonomous motives and high positive affect contribute to physical health.

<p>Autonomous motives …. low, ___ high.</p

The results of regression analyses in which RAI was tested as the moderator of the relationship between components of subjective well-being and physical health.

<p>^a p<.001</p><p>^b Beta-how many standard deviations a dependent variable will change, per standard deviation increase in the predictor variable</p><p>^c R²- proportion of variance in the criterion variable explained by the predictor variable</p><p>^d ΔR2- difference in R² between previous and current step of the analysis</p><p>The results of regression analyses in which RAI was tested as the moderator of the relationship between components of subjective well-being and physical health.</p

The results of regression analyses in which autonomous and controlling motives were tested as the moderators of the relationship between components of subjective well-being and physical health.

<p>^a p< .050</p><p>^b p< .010</p><p>^c p<.001</p><p>^d Beta-how many standard deviations a dependent variable will change, per standard deviation increase in the predictor variable</p><p>^e R²- proportion of variance in the criterion variable explained by the predictor variable</p><p>^f ΔR2- difference in R² between previous and current step of the analysis</p><p>The results of regression analyses in which autonomous and controlling motives were tested as the moderators of the relationship between components of subjective well-being and physical health.</p

Mean, standard deviation and correlations among the study variables.

<p>^ap< .050</p><p>^b p< .010</p><p>Mean, standard deviation and correlations among the study variables.</p