Family Leisure Research Articles

Making women’s shelters more conducive to family life: professionals’ exploration of the benefits of nature

ABSTRACT For families who live in women’s shelters, provision of salubrious activities supports their recovery and resilience. In many fields, natural environments are known to provide such benefits. Using an action research design, this study explored professionals’ perspective on the benefits of nature for family life in women’s shelters. Four researchers and 46 care professionals collaborated for six months on this exploration by forming a Community of Practice (CoP). Thematic analysis of transcripts of CoP meetings and case descriptions showed five themes: nature (1) offers a place for family leisure time, (2) supports social connectedness, (3) supports psychological well-being, (4) offers metaphoric experiences, and (5) supports parenting. The first four themes are in line with insights on the benefits of nature for people in general. Professionals’ explanations of the fifth theme suggest that nature supports parenting by providing relatedness between parent and child, parental feelings of competence, and autonomy in parenting.

Ecology of family experiences: Contextualizing family leisure for human development & family relations

All family leisure is not equal. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms linking different types of family leisure to different human development and family relations outcomes. The Ecology of Family Experiences (EFE) framework provides a sensitizing lens for the study of the conditions under which family leisure is beneficial to individuals and families. Specifically, the framework suggests three domains—Family, Activity, and Time—iteratively interact to generate different levels of individual and family outcomes (i.e., responses, meaning, and development). The EFE necessitates research built on ecologically valid study designs that incorporate innovative measurement approaches. Scholars using such approaches can increase the precision and differentiation of findings leading to more effective research translation that informs family leisure education and intervention. Effective education and intervention can be used to increase protective factors inherent in family leisure to support healthy human development and family relations.

돌봄공동체 리더들이 인식하는 가족친화마을환경 개념에 대한 사례연구 - 제주지역 이주민 돌봄공동체 리더를 중심으로 -

This study aims to identify the concept of a family-friendly neighborhood environment and to present the findings to influence the goals of and directions for future policy. This qualitative research study was conducted based on interviews with six leaders in the child-care community residing in Jeju and Seogwipo, two cities in South Korea. First, the findings demonstrated that the subjects recognized the concept of family-friendly neighborhood environments as ʻʻenvironments in which communication is possible with all neighbors, neighbors take care of children, and all families enjoy neighborhood life.ʼʼ Second, family-friendly neighborhood environments were characterized as being safe, nature-friendly, and accessible. Third, participants identified family leisure cultural facilities and multipurpose facilities as the spaces that characterize family-friendly neighborhood environments. Lastly, the model of family-friendly neighborhoods needs to be composed of the following three factors: residence, leisure, and economy.

Effect of clozapine on psychological outcomes of caregivers of patients with treatment resistant schizophrenia

Background There is limited information on caregiver outcomes of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Aim This study aimed to evaluate the impact of short-term treatment with clozapine (i.e. 3 months) on caregiver burden, expressed emotions, caregiver abuse, and psychological morbidity among the caregivers in patients with TRS. 52 caregivers of patients with TRS were evaluated on the Family Burden Interview Schedule, Perceived Criticism Measure, Caregiver Abuse Screening Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire-12. Results Maximum caregiver burden was seen in the domain of disruption of routine family activities, and this was followed by the domains of disruption of family leisure, disruption of family interaction, and the effect on mental health on others. At the baseline assessment, three-fourth of the caregivers scored ≥12 on the objective burden. With 3 months of clozapine therapy, there was a significant reduction in the caregiver burden in all the domains of objective burden, subjective burden, and the global objective burden as per the clinician rating, in the expressed emotions as per both patients and the caregivers, caregiver abuse, and psychological morbidity among the caregivers. Conclusion To conclude, this study suggests that caregivers of patients with TRS, experience significantly higher caregiver burden, and a large proportion of them suffer from psychological morbidity and indulge in expressed emotions and abuse of the patient. Treatment with clozapine for 3 months leads to a reduction in the caregiver burden, expressed emotions, caregiver abuse, and psychological morbidity among the caregivers.

Changes in Family Life and Relationships during the COVID-19 Pandemic and their Associations with Perceived Stress

This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed family life and relationships as well as how these changes affect perceived stress among married men and women. This study investigated changes in family time use, household work, child care, leisure activities, income and expenditures along with relationships between spouses and children using a sample of 627 married persons surveyed online from May 19 to 25, 2020. The results showed that the amount of time spent on household work, child care, and family leisure have increased and that the perceived burden of household work and child care has also increased. Gender differences were found in time use, household work, and child care. Leisure activities have changed toward more time watching TV or online media and playing online games and less time on outdoor activities, shopping, and meeting friends. About 38% of respondents reported a reduction in household income and 22% reported an increase in household debt. The majority experienced no change in the quality of relationships with spouses and children, approximately 20% of the sample reported a positive change in relationships with spouses and children. The findings of multivariate regression indicated that change in work time, negative change in household economy, negative change in household work and negative change in relationships with spouses were associated with marital stress. However, this study found that negative changes in child care and in relationships with children did not affect stress among married parents with children in elementary or secondary school.

Real-time, passive measurement of communication during family leisure: An exploratory study of wearable sociometric badges

Research on family communication in the leisure context has been limited to retrospective survey reconstructions of perceptions of communication patterns. This study examines the validity of sociometric badges for measuring family communication in real-time. Seven families (married, two-parent families with at least one child ages 4–17 years) wore sociometric badges during a 30-minute leisure activity in a lab setting. We compared mean badge estimates of family communication duration to mean coded video data from the same 30-minute sessions. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated sociometric badges are not as reliable as video-coded estimates of speech; however, among parents, non-significant mean comparisons partially support the validity of sociometric badges. Deviation scores indicated average differences between the two methods to be less than three minutes. We urge scholars to proceed with cautious optimism if using sociometric badges for real-time communication data collection, and to pair badges with other data collection methods.

The Effect of Family Leisure and Family Rituals on the Mobile Internet Use and Smartphone Overdependence of Children

The Effect of Family Leisure and Family Rituals on the Mobile Internet Use and Smartphone Overdependence of Children

The Analysis of Social Support Level in Foster Families in the Context of Their Leisure Time Activities

The objective of this study is to investigate whether there is a correlation between family social support and leisure time activities among adopted children in foster families. It has been assumed that the main factors determining leisure activities in foster families are social family ties, manifested in the form of a strong social support. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) has been used to measure the perception of support and only the first, out of three, family-related source was applied in the research. The study has been conducted from a youth perspective in the context of family leisure and family support and it has tested the types of leisure activities which the foster children and their parents participated in – core and balance. The study group consisting of youth aged 10-21 coming from the city of Poznan and its neighbouring areas. The results show that there is a correlation between family social support at all its levels (low, medium and high) and low/high core index levels both in girls and boys. These findings indicate that, from a youth perspective, core rather than balance family leisure involvement has a stronger relationship with family social support. There is a further need for experimental design in the form of an interventional program in order to effectively scan the casual effects of family support. The findings also suggest that further research is necessary to investigate the correlation between the foster families and individual leisure time activates undertaken by the adopted children.

EDUTAINMENT AS A NEW TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT

The modern world is changing intensively and sets new tasks for humankind. Now not only subject knowledge but also universal skills are becoming more and more in demand. They help to adapt to the environment, filled with complicated technological solutions and constant interaction with other people. These are competencies such as critical and creative thinking, the ability to communicate, working in a team, managing oneself. Not only the school but also the family in many ways influence the formation of these skills. It is in the close circle that the child gradually masters the social norms, the rules of communication, and interaction with others through his/her practical experience. Studies confirm that the quality of family leisure impacts the educational outcomes of the child. Moreover, the demand for high-quality family leisure on the part of parents determines the interest in the creation and development of such projects in continuing education and the socio-cultural sector. In this article, the authors try to help outline how to develop accessible and useful educational projects (edutainment) for modern children and parents that combine family recreation and learning. The materials will help answer three crucial questions: What?; To whom?; How?

Changes in Family Leisure Functioning Following a Family Camp for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and long-term effect of participation in a family camp designed specifically for families with a child with ASD. The variables studied were family recreation, family recreation satisfaction, family communication, satisfaction with family function, and satisfaction with family life, as reported by the parents. Findings indicated changes in family functioning, family communication, satisfaction with family function, and satisfaction with family life. The trend analyses indicated the parents reported a general increase in satisfaction with their family function and family life, and a statistically significant increase was observed in satisfaction with family life (p = .045). These findings partially support previous research demonstrating that increased parental involvement has a positive effect on parental and family well-being for families with a child with ASD. Implications for recreational therapy practice in providing interventions for families with a child with ASD and future research are discussed. Subscribe to TRJ

Changing Representations of Fatherhood through the Lens of Family Leisure Photographs

This paper utilizes family leisure photographs to examine New Zealand society’s changing representations of fatherhood. Photographs are a useful lens for addressing such issues, as they can be interpreted as ways of understanding human life. They document sociological aspects of lives that we are unable to see easily from other sources. Over 100 years of family leisure photographs (a combination of archival family photograph albums and more recent albums sourced privately through advertising and snowball sampling) were analysed using visual qualitative thematic analysis. For analysis, a structured chronological approach was adopted to make the findings easy to follow and show the changing representations of fatherhood discourses over time. The findings show that family leisure photographs reflect a shift away from father as an invisible breadwinner in the early twentieth century, to participating in leisure consumption with the family in the post-war years, to visible and involved during the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s, to the position of playmate-teacher in more recent decades.

The Pedagogical Potential of Using Portal Technology in Organizing Family Leisure

The Pedagogical Potential of Using Portal Technology in Organizing Family Leisure

The Relationship of the Characteristics of Family Leisure and the Level of Formation of Human Potential of Children (Through the Example of Families with School-Age Children)

Several key institutions of society, including the family, take part in shaping the human potential of the younger generation. With the growing workload of the working population, it is getting more difcult forparents to combine parenting and professional activities. The “children or work” dilemma arises in almost any family. In these conditions, the importance of the time that parents can spend with their children increases. At the same time, considering the limited time for communication with children, the leisure practices that bring the greatest results in bringing up children remain insufficiently studied. This study aims to fill in this gap. The purpose is to study the influence of the duration and content of communication between parents and children on the formation of their human potential. The information base was composed of data received from representative opinion polls of the population in general and of families with children in particular which were conducted in the Vologda Oblast as a model region of the Russian Federation. In the course of the study, three clusters of families were distinguished, which differ in the duration of the daily communication of parents with their children. On the example of the families that have the least time for raising children, it is shown that the content of communication, the values used as a basis for upbringing, and the qualities of the children themselves are correlated with the effectiveness of upbringing. It is shown that the best formed human potential in children corresponds to such aspects of family upbringing as its focus on the personal, aesthetic, cultural and intellectual development of children, as well as their incorporation in joint work with parents. Additionally, children with higher levels of formation of human potential more evidently showed all the main positive volitional qualities of their personalities. The results obtained confirm the importance of not only the duration, but also the content of communication between parents and children for the formation of the potential of the younger generation.

Relationship of stigma with burden and coping among caregivers of patients with severe mental disorders

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the association of stigma with the caregiver burden and coping. Methodology: One hundred and sixteen adult caregivers of persons with severe mental illness were evaluated on the Stigma Scale for Caregivers of People with Mental Illness (CPMI), Family Burden Interview (FBI) Schedule, and Family Coping Questionnaire. Results: In terms of stigma, the mean total score was highest for the affective component followed by behavioral and least for the cognitive component of CPMI. On FBI, the highest burden was reported for the financial burden followed by disruption of routine family activities, disruption of family leisure activities, disruption of family interaction, the effect on the physical health of others, and effect on the mental health of others. The most common coping strategy used by the caregivers was gathering information followed by positive communication and patient's social involvement. A higher level of stigma in all the domains was associated with a significantly higher burden in all the domains of the objective burden, except for effect on physical and mental health on others. Higher use of copings such as positive communication and social interests was associated with higher stigma in all the domains except for lack of significant association between positive communication and cognitive domain of stigma. Higher use of resignation as a coping mechanism was associated with a higher stigma in the cognitive domain of CPMI. Conclusion: This study shows that a higher level of stigma among caregivers of patients with severe mental disorder is associated with higher objective caregiver burden and higher use of coping mechanisms such as positive communication and social interest. Accordingly, it can be said that any effort to mitigate the caregiver burden needs to take stigma into account.

The Contribution of Vacationing Together to Couple Functioning

Informed by the Core and Balance Model of Family Leisure Functioning, we investigated the contribution of one type of family leisure—couple vacations—in enhancing couples’ cohesion and flexibility (i.e., functioning). Studying dyadic data from 112 couples (224 individuals) from across the United States of America, results of multilevel models showed that the variable “shared experiences during vacations” was positively associated with couples’ day-to-day functioning at home. Couples who engaged in higher levels of shared experiences during their vacations, such as effective communication, showing affection, or experiencing new things together, reported higher levels of couple flexibility and cohesion following their vacations, regardless of the number of vacations. We discuss the implications of these results for couples who spend quality time together away from home, as well as future use of our study model when examining benefits of vacationing for families.

ОРГАНІЗАЦІЯ АКТИВНОГО СІМЕЙНОГО ДОЗВІЛЛЯ: ВІТЧИЗНЯНИЙ ТА ЗАРУБІЖНИЙ ДОСВІД

The article analyzes the national and foreign experience on the problem of organizing active family leisure, as it is one of the spheres of life where the task of preserving the health of different population groups can be most fruitfully solved. Objective. To summarize the provisions of literary sources, documentary materials, domestic and world practical experience on the theoretical foundations of family leisure organization with the use of outdoor activities. Methods. Theoretical analysis of scientific and methodological literature and documentary materials; comparative method, structural and functional analysis, sociological; pedagogical methods (pedagogical observation), methods of mathematical statistics. Results. Theoretical bases of leisure activities have been characterized. Most families prefer passive recreation without leaving their home. It should be noted that the variety of health related and recreational services provided by specialized health centers and complexes are very popular among the citizens. The study of leisure activities for people of all ages found that most respondents spend free time with their family. These data indicate that there is a strong need to cultivate and maintain family ties through the recreational and health related measures. Given the considerable attractiveness of the recreational and health related motor activity, it is advisable to develop respective programs that will have a pronounced recreational effect.

An overview of the use of oxytocin measures in leisure studies

For family leisure scholars, the growing understanding of neurobiological mechanisms in human behavior, emotions, and relationships offer new avenues for understanding the impact of family activities on family relationships. Oxytocin (OT) is a key neurohormone associated with bonding, attachment, emotions, and social memory. In both men and women, OT strengthens bonds in parent-child and romantic relationships. This paper considers the value of and orients family leisure scholars to the use of oxytocin measures in their research. Specifically, we provide an overview of the methodology for identifying which factors of family activities stimulate the release of endogenous oxytocin (i.e., methodology for collecting, assaying, and analyzing the endogenous OT), and we provide recommendations to family scholars for future use of oxytocin measures in their research.

Modern family leisure activities organization in theme parks

Modern family leisure activities organization in theme parks

Family Leisure, Self-Management, and Satisfaction in Spanish Youth.

Youth values leisure as a right, a source of growth and integral development, and a context for experimentation. It has been shown that organized leisure leads to more benefits than unorganized leisure; when undertaken (Throughout the document, an attempt will be made to use inclusive language, although “under Law 3/2007 of 22 March, for the effective equality of women and men, any reference to positions, persons or groups included in this document in masculine, are to be understood as including both women and men.”) by the young people themselves, these benefits lead to the development of prosocial skills, self-efficacy, autonomy, and increased independence, personal motivation, and responsibility, as well as acting as a protective factor against risky behaviors. When organized leisure activities are also shared with the family, the benefits influence a positive family environment. This study focused on analyzing the relationship between family-shared leisure practices that are managed by Spanish youth in post-compulsory secondary education and the importance and satisfaction granted to these experiences. The sample consisted of 1,764 post-compulsory secondary education students from all over Spain. Youths responsibility for the organization of their leisure activities, the perception of the relationship between enjoyment of the activity and involvement in its management, the organization of the spaces in which leisure activities are carried out, their satisfaction with them, and the importance attached to shared practice and family experiences were recorded. The results showed a shortage of self-managed youth leisure practices, but increased responsibility, spatial organization, and satisfaction were confirmed when leisure experiences are shared with the family. The need to encourage opportunities for children to self-organize their leisure practices from an early age is commented on.

Playing, parenting and family leisure in parks: exploring emotional geographies of families in Guangzhou Children’s Park, China

ABSTRACT Children’s leisure activities in parks have attracted increasing scholarly interest in recent decades. However, relatively little attention has been given to the emotional needs and responses of children to their activities within a park’s play spaces. Moreover, what parents perceive, and how they themselves engage within children’s playing spaces, is under-studied. Drawing on fieldwork carried out in the Guangzhou Children’s Park, China, this paper aims to explore the experiences of both children and parents within this particular playing space. Supplementing participant observations with interviews and analysis of reviews on the Internet, the paper finds that children obtain a sense of family and company from their parents’ presence, and parents recall memories of their own childhood and obtain emotional recovery by visiting parks with their children. The findings suggest that play spaces are not only places where children play, but also where family life and childhood are ‘built’. The paper contributes to the existing literature by highlighting and examining the ‘child–parent’ relationship within playing spaces. By conducting a case study of a non-Western society, the paper encourages researchers to examine ‘child–parent’ relationships in a family leisure context, and to explore the everyday and emotional geographies of family life in contemporary China.