The Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (NSFS): An in-depth psychometric validation among Italian workers

Abstract

Studies have suggested that basic psychological needs are associated with a variety of workplace dimensions across different cultures such as psychological well-being, burnout, motivation, and job design. Consequently, adopting validated cross-cultural psychometric scales could facilitate researchers and consultants to better understand employee’s motivational processes. Therefore, the present paper evaluated the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (NSFS). The evaluation included confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and measurement invariance across gender. The sample comprised 309 Italian workers (61.6% females), with a mean age of 41.94 years (SD= ±10.71). The survey including the Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (NSFS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the cognitive weariness subscale of the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ). The results of CFA supported a first-order six-factor. The NSFS subscales showed good internal consistencies (Cronbach alphas ranging from 0.88 to 0.95; McDonald omegas ranging from 0.88 to 0.95). Overall, need satisfaction was positively associated with life satisfaction, and need frustration was positively associated with cognitive weariness. Measurement invariance across gender was established. The findings indicate that the NSFS is a psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing the basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration among Italian workers. The study expands the literature regarding basic psychological need and demonstrates important associational dimensions in the Italian context.