Autonomy support in higher education: a key strategy for the well-being of university students.

Introduction: Amid changing social dynamics, the world of higher education faces, among other challenges, the growing impact on the mental health of students. In this scenario, the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) highlights the important role of autonomy support as it generates positive effects on students' motivation and well-being.

Methods: The present study tests the predictive capacity of the teacher's interpersonal style of autonomy support in a higher education institution, in relation to the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, autonomous motivation and depressive symptoms. A sample composed of 356 Spanish university students of which 237 were male (66.57%) from different grades and courses, aged between 17 and 57 years ( M = 20.83; SD = 3.44), from middle socioeconomic strata, was used, and selected through purposive sampling.

Results: After the analysis of structural equations, the results showed that the teacher's interpersonal style of autonomy support positively predicted: the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation; but negatively depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: The model describes the possible importance of promoting the teacher's interpersonal style of autonomy support in higher education as a protective factor for well-being and mental health. These findings highlight the importance of motivational strategies that higher education teachers must implement to promote student motivation and well-being.