Hanging Out as a Meaningful Occupation

Abstract

Background: College students undergo a developmental transition from adolescence to adulthood, which can be challenging and make them more vulnerable to mental health problems. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the benefits of hanging out as a meaningful leisure occupation to deal with stress in college students and how hanging out can improve the mental health and well-being of college students. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was applied. Data were collected using Focused Group Discussion with eight students who hanging out regularly 1-2 times a week. Results: There were two themes identified in this study: The first theme is hanging out meaningful leisure occupation with three sub-themes namely students’ perception of hanging out, hanging out as leisure among students, and benefits of hanging out as a meaningful leisure occupation. the second theme was the impact of hanging out on students with two sub-themes namely the impact of hanging out on student mental health and the impact of hanging out on student well-being. Conclusion: Hanging out provides many benefits for students, especially to reduce academic stress, and hanging out can have a positive impact on students' mental health and well-being.