Mental health in Mexican teachers of basic education. An approach from the Self-determination theory

Studies in different contexts highlight the role played by basic psychological needs in the development of quality motivation. The evidence shows that people with a motivation generated by more autonomous regulations show greater well-being and positive emotions such as joy, enthusiasm, etc. That is why the objective of the study was to test an explanatory model that contemplates how the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs influence the types of motivation and mental health measured through positive and negative affects in education teachers. basic of different public schools of Nuevo Leon. 568 basic education teachers participated (63% women, 37% men) aged between 17 and 63 years (M-age = 37.37; SD = 10.37). The results reveal satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices (CFI =.926, TLI =.923, NNFI =.923, RMSEA =.051). Reliabilities through Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega were adequate. In conclusion, positive (well-being) and negative (discomfort) affects can be expressed in a correct way by the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs, mediated by motivation, whether autonomously controlled or not motivated.