Summary This study explored how the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (autonomy, relatedness, and competence) relates to motivation and well-being among first-year Health Professions students. We used survey data from 202 students and structural equation modeling for analysis. The findings showed that autonomy satisfaction was positively linked to autonomous motivation, and relatedness and competence satisfaction were directly and positively associated with well-being. Autonomous motivation did not directly influence well-being. The results highlight that learning environments support all three psychological needs to promote both autonomous motivation and well-being in health professions education.

Dataset The dataset contains anonymized survey responses from 202 first-year Health Professions students, including measures of basic psychological needs satisfaction (autonomy, relatedness, competence), autonomous motivation, and well-being. These variables were used to examine the relationships outlined in the structural equation model reported in the study. The corresponding scales are Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale, Academic Motivation Scale, and WHO-5 Well-being Index, respectively. The first sheet ‘survey responses’ are scores of each item from the participants, and the second sheet ‘survey item’ shows which item corresponds to which question in the scale, as well as what variable this item measures.