Abstract
Studies have shown that family and work spillover affects well-being and that leisure activities can alleviate the negative effects of work-related stress on health. However, few studies have focused on investigating the effects of specific leisure activities among specific populations. To examine whether leisure activities in green spaces can promote individual recovery processes and alleviate the effects of work and family spillover on positive emotions, this study applied the effort-recovery model to a population of working mothers. Through online and paper questionnaires, sample data were collected from 221 working mothers in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the experimental hypothesis, and mediation analysis was used to determine whether leisure in green spaces is a mediating factor. The results indicated that leisure in green spaces is a mediator of the relationship of negative work and family spillover with positive emotions. In addition, strolls and park visits were found to provide greater psychological benefits to working mothers, compared with picnics.
Highlights
Per the 2014 report on Taiwanese women’s marriages, fertility, and employment [1], 55.9% of married women aged 15–64 years were employed
The frequency of participation in leisure activities in green spaces exhibited a spillover between work and family, the individual experiences a lower level of positive emotions
Per the effort-recovery model, the negative effect of work–family spillover might be a trigger for working mothers to engage in healthy behavior [19,20] in order to release their stress during the recovery process
Summary
Per the 2014 report on Taiwanese women’s marriages, fertility, and employment [1], 55.9% of married women aged 15–64 years were employed. In Taiwanese families, women are usually the main caregivers, spending an average of 4.2 h every day on housework, four times the time that men spend. Work and family experiences usually progress simultaneously, with working experiences affecting family life and vice versa. These interactive relationships shape and affect the health of the individual [2]: that is, the effects of family and work are bidirectional. In the interaction between family and work, emotions, feelings, stress, and behavior from one domain spill over and affect the other domain [3]. These work–family interaction experiences are likely to have negative effects on the individual’s health [4]
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