Relationships between leisure factors and health-related stress among older adults

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between leisure autonomy, leisure competence, and leisure social support and health-related stress among older adults. It also examined whether an increase in age moderated the relationships between these three leisure factors and health-related stress. Two hundred fifty-six older adults living in Keelung City, Taiwan were randomly selected as participants at the first year. At the second year, 195 of them continued to respond to the questionnaire of the study that included leisure autonomy, leisure competence, leisure social support, and health-related stress scales. The questionnaire data were analyzed using a regression analysis. The results of this analysis showed that leisure autonomy, leisure competence, and leisure social support were significantly negatively related to health-related stress and that an increase in age moderated the relationship between leisure competence and health-related stress. Implications of the results are discussed.