Childhood and adolescence are pivotal developmental stages for psychological health. An understanding of psychological mechanisms related to well-being is important for promoting positive life outcomes for youth. Research generally shows that the basic psychological need for autonomy is significantly associated with well-being. To examine the magnitude and sources of variation in this relationship, we conducted a meta-analysis of 90 reports to analyze the average effect of autonomy need satisfaction (ANS) and frustration (ANF) on indicators of psychological well- and ill-being for K-12 (Kindergarten to 12th grade) youth. Results indicated that ANS was positively associated with psychological well-being and negatively associated with psychological ill-being among youth. Further, ANF was negatively associated with psychological well-being and positively associated with psychological ill-being. Moderator analyses indicated that the association between ANS and well-being was stronger for studies conducted with children and adolescents in East Asian countries compared to studies conducted in the USA, Canada, or Northern Europe when controlling for publication status and measurement reliability. Results also showed that the average correlation between ANS and well-being was stronger for studies located in more collectivistic countries compared to individualistic countries when controlling for publication status and measurement reliability. The relationship between ANS and ill-being was stronger for studies conducted in the USA and Canada compared to East Asian and European contexts. Together, results suggest that autonomy satisfaction is related to the well- and ill-being of youth across cultural contexts, but that there is cultural variation in the association between experiences of autonomy and well-being.

童年和青少年是心理健康的关键发展阶段。了解与幸福感相关的心理机制对于促进青少年积极的生活结果非常重要。研究普遍表明，对自主性的基本心理需求与幸福感显著相关。为了检查这种关系中变化的大小和来源，我们对 90 份报告进行了荟萃分析，以分析自主需求满足 （ANS） 和挫折感 （ANF） 对 K-12（幼儿园至 12 年级）青少年心理健康和不良指标的平均影响。结果表明，ANS 与青少年的心理健康呈正相关，与心理健康呈负相关。此外，ANF 与心理健康呈负相关，与心理健康呈正相关。主持人分析表明，在控制出版状态和测量可靠性时，与在美国、加拿大或北欧进行的研究相比，东亚国家对儿童和青少年进行的研究 ANS 与幸福感之间的关联更强。结果还显示，在控制出版状态和测量可靠性时，与个人主义国家相比，位于更集体主义国家的研究 ANS 与幸福感之间的平均相关性更强。与东亚和欧洲背景相比，在美国和加拿大进行的研究中，ANS 与疾病之间的关系更强。 总之，结果表明，自主性满意度与不同文化背景下青年的幸福感和不良性有关，但自主性体验与幸福感之间的关联存在文化差异。