Leisure Coping Strategies Research Articles

How do fan engagement and sport participation influence adaptation to campus and life satisfaction? A Comparison between American domestic and Asian international students

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the relationship among fan engagement and sport participation, adaptation to campus, and life satisfaction between American domestic and Asian international students. A total of 485 domestic and 295 international students (domestic = 62.2%) from a large, Midwestern university were included as the sample. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Overall, it was found that fan engagement in collegiate sport (psychological and behavioral) and campus sport participation (behavioral) helped both domestic and international students facilitate their four school adaptation dimensions (academic, social, emotional, and institutional) and experience higher life satisfaction. However, there were different effects of fan engagement and sport participation between the two student groups. This research can contribute to Astin’s student involvement theory and leisure coping strategies and provide guidance for athletic departments, campus recreation, and university administration in serving various needs of student populations.

The Role of Extraversion in the Effectiveness of Leisure Coping on Depressive Symptoms

Research suggests that leisure is as an effective coping strategy for depression. The foundational theory of lei-sure coping assumes that leisure coping can be benefi-cial in three ways: mood enhancement, diversion, and companionship. While theorists asserted that the above three strategies are universal, research suggests that the personality trait of extraversion is associated with leisure behavior and may affect the effectiveness of leisure cop-ing strategies. The current study aimed to examine the role of extraversion in the relationship between leisure coping and depressive symptoms. A total of 155 adults with depression (59 males and 96 females) were recruit-ed from four different depression-related venues and responded to an online survey. The results of multiple regression analyses found that extraversion did not affect the relationship of leisure palliative coping and mood en-hancement; however, it significantly moderated the rela-tionship between leisure companionship and depressive symptoms. While a significant negative association be-tween leisure companionship and depressive symptoms was found among extroverts, no significant relationship was observed among introverts. The results suggest that the personality trait of extraversion matters to leisure coping and should be considered to better facilitate rec-reational therapy interventions.

The Relationship between Medical Staff's Emotional Labor, Leisure Coping Strategies, Workplace Spirituality, and Organizational Commitment during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Many medical issues have gradually emerged under the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not only changed the medical culture but also tested medical staffs’ response abilities, emotional pressure, sense of identity, and belonging to the organization. The relationships among medical staffs’ emotional labor, leisure coping strategies, workplace spirituality, and organizational commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic are explored in this study. With medical staffs as the research subjects, a questionnaire survey was conducted using convenience sampling; a total of 360 questionnaires were distributed and 330 were returned, for a recovery rate of 91%. There were 300 valid questionnaires after 30 invalid questionnaires were excluded, for an effective recovery rate of 90%. SPSS and AMOS software were used for statistical analysis. According to the research results: (1) emotional labor had a significant effect on workplace spirituality, (2) workplace spirituality had a significant impact on organizational commitment, (3) emotional labor had a negative and significant impact on organizational commitment, (4) emotional labor had a significant impact on leisure coping strategies, and (5) the mediating effect of workplace spirituality between emotional labor and organizational commitment was not significant. Finally, relevant practical suggestions are provided based on the results of this study.

Explaining the facilitators of quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis: a qualitative study

BackgroundIn patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the disease’s complications and manifestations affect a person’s ability to function normally and leads to further disruptions in their education, family life, job opportunities, and daily life activities, thereby reduce their quality of life. Different factors as facilitators or inhibitors affect the quality of life in patients with MS. This study aimed to explain the facilitators of quality of life in patients with MS.MethodsThis research applied qualitative methodology, utilizing semi-structured interviews with individuals with MS and their family members/caregivers. Purposeful sampling was done among people who referred to Isfahan MS Association. Participants were selected with a maximum variation in terms of gender, age, education, occupation and marital status. Interviews were continued to reach data saturation. The gathered data were concurrently analyzed by the content analysis technique. MAXQDA software version 10 was used for data management.ResultsSaturation was reached after eighteen interviews. A total of three main categories and 8 sub-categories were extracted from the data. The identified facilitators were: personal facilitators (leisure time and coping strategies), interpersonal facilitators (exercise therapy, social support and social organizations) and needs and suggestions for improvement (family therapy, adopting urban architecture and facilities, and supportive systems).ConclusionsBased on these findings, in order to improve the quality of life in patients with MS, we should pay attention to factors such as leisure time, spirituality and positive thinking, exercise, social support and social organizations. Health professionals, the government, community and families could help to improve patients’ quality of life through adapting urban architecture, holding family therapy sessions and providing supportive systems.

Investigating the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Leisure Coping Strategies among University Students: Eskişehir Technical University Case

The problems university students face during their education life often lead to undesirable situations as stress resources. Thus, various methods, techniques and strategies are employed in order to avoid negative effects of stress in their lives. Leisure is one of the effective methods in coping with stress, and leisure coping strategies are “leisure companionship”, “leisure palliative coping” and “leisure mood enhancement”. However, there are few studies in the literature focusing on the relationship between these strategies and perceived stress. Exploring this relationship is believed to provide valuable insights for university administrations so that they might offer effective recreation programs for their students. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between perceived stress and leisure coping strategies. In addition, it examines whether there is a difference in perceived stress and strategies according to time spent for leisure activities and type of leisure participation. The participants of the study are 338 students, who were determined by using convenience sampling method. The data were collected through a survey that consists of three parts. The first part includes Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the second one Leisure Coping Strategies Scale (LCSS) and the third one demographic questions about the participants. The data were analyzed by using Pearson Moment-Product correlation, t-test and ANOVA analyses. According to the findings, there is a negative significant relationship between perceived stress level, leisure coping strategies and its subdimensions. The study also found that perceived stress level of the participants who prefer passive participation in leisure activities is significantly different from that of those who prefer active participation. Similarly, the participants who prefer passive participation in leisure activities is significantly different from those who prefer active participation in terms of leisure coping strategies. In conclusion, the study contributes to the literature with these valuable findings and provides important insights for university campus recreation programs and services.

All work and no play? Antecedents of the leisure involvement of Taiwan expatriate managers in Mainland China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to construct and test an antecedent relationship path model for the leisure involvement of Taiwan expatriate managers working in Mainland China. A leisure temporal-spatial involvement (LTSI) was developed.Design/methodology/approachBurnout, perceived freedom in leisure and leisure coping strategies were proposed in the conceptual model as antecedents of leisure involvement. A questionnaire survey gathered information on the characteristics of respondents, including demographic/socio-economic details, expatriate profile and leisure activity participation. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used in this research to measure the relationships among the four scale variables (job burnout, perceived freedom in leisure, leisure coping strategies and leisure involvement).FindingsThe expatriate managers experienced high burnout levels, particularly in the form of exhaustion. Their leisure involvement was mainly influenced by perceived freedom in leisure.Research limitations/implicationsThis work contributes to the research on leisure and expatriation in several ways. It is one of the first empirical studies to examine prominent leisure concepts (freedom, coping and involvement) within the milieu of expatriation. The findings provide further support to the notion of the “presumed cultural similarity paradox,” in that expatriates of Chinese ethnicity still had significant adjustment difficulties in Mainland China. The research again confirms the challenges of Mainland China as an expatriation destination.Practical implicationsThe research results have significant practical value and may assist Taiwan-capital enterprises in improving expatriates’ leisure life management. The section on Managerial and policy implications outlines the implications for the actors involved.Social implicationsThis work has social implications since the Taiwan expatriate managers are not effectively adjusting to their work–life environments in Guangzhou. Greater social contact between locals and these managers is recommended in the future.Originality/valueA new scale for leisure involvement (LTSI), expressed in temporal and spatial dimensions, is developed to fit the particular situations faced by expatriates. This is also one of only a few empirical research studies to consider leisure involvement within an expatriation framework.

I know you are suffering from burnout: The moderated mediation effects of "leisure benefits" and "leisure coping" on the burnout model of flight attendants

Is leisure the best policy in work? This study explored the moderated mediation effects of the leisure benefit systems organized by airline companies and the leisure coping strategies adopted by the flight attendants themselves on the model of "job demands—burnout—health problems." This study distributed questionnaires to 362 flight attendants and used hierarchical regression analysis and process analysis to verify its hypotheses. The results of this study reveal that the mediation model of "job demands—burnout—health problems" is obvious. The moderated mediation effect on the mediation model implies that leisure benefit systems will weaken the relationship between job demands and burnout and then improve health problems. Leisure coping strategies will ease the relationship between burnout and health problems, while indirectly weakening "job demands—burnout—health problems." Finally, this study proposed several management suggestions for airline companies to promote leisure benefit systems and leisure coping strategies for flight attendants.

The Impact of Decreased Capacity to Experience Pleasure on Leisure Coping Strategies among Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder

ABSTRACT Anhedonia is a key clinical feature of major depressive disorder (MDD) and affects one's capacity to experience pleasure. This study examined the extent to which anhedonia disrupts the use and the effect of leisure coping strategies. A cross-sectional online survey design was used to recruit individuals with MDD (n = 155). Structural equation modeling was performed to test the models of relationships among perceived stress, anhedonia, leisure coping strategies, and depressive symptoms. The results show that a high level of anhedonia was associated with lower utilization and effects of leisure as a coping strategy (β = −.484, p < .01). However, after accounting for the effect of anhedonia, leisure coping strategies still had a significant negative association with depressive symptoms (β = −.179, p < .05). The results highlighted the significant negative impact of anhedonia on leisure coping strategies and supported its effectiveness in the presence of anhedonia.

Stress, resilience and leisure coping among university students: applying the broaden-and-build theory

Evidence suggests that leisure coping is affiliated with resilience, and that both predict stress-coping and well-being. However, a theoretical explanation of how resilience is associated with the stress-reducing properties of leisure coping is lacking. Using the broaden-and-build theory, a model was developed proposing that resilient individuals proactively use leisure coping to cultivate positive emotions and in turn enhance well-being. Leisure coping and positive affect (PA) were suggested to mediate the relationship between resilience and well-being outcomes (stress and flourishing). The model was tested among 202 U.K undergraduates, a population reported to experience high stress. Structural equation modelling revealed that resilience had a significant positive effect on flourishing. Leisure coping beliefs demonstrated a positive relationship with resilience, PA and flourishing. PA mediated the relationship between resilience and flourishing and between resilience and stress. Leisure coping strategies did not meaningfully contribute to the model. Leisure beliefs may have emerged as more important than leisure strategies because leisure beliefs are relatively stable with more enduring effects on health and well-being, while leisure strategies are transient and situation-based. Future research should examine the relationships longitudinally to explore developmental change. Implications of the findings for undergraduates are discussed.

Yoga as Coping: A Conceptual Framework for Meaningful Participation in Yoga

Yoga facilitates relaxation and connection of mind, body, and spirit through the use of breathing, meditation, and physical postures. Participation in yoga has been extensively linked to decreased stress, and as a result, is considered a therapeutic intervention by many. However, few theories exist that explain the link between yoga participation and improved psychosocial wellbeing. The leisure-stress coping conceptual framework suggests that through participation in leisure, an individual can decrease stress while concurrently restoring and building up sustainable mental and physical capacities. Three types of leisure coping strategies exist: palliative coping, mood enhancement, and companionship. The purpose of this article is to propose the leisure-stress coping conceptual framework as a model for explaining benefits received from yoga participation via leisure coping strategies, which may explain or support improved ability to manage stress.

Yoga as Coping: A Conceptual Framework for Meaningful Participation in Yoga.

Yoga facilitates relaxation and connection of mind, body, and spirit through the use of breathing, meditation, and physical postures. Participation in yoga has been extensively linked to decreased stress, and as a result, is considered a therapeutic intervention by many. However, few theories exist that explain the link between yoga participation and improved psychosocial wellbeing. The leisure-stress coping conceptual framework suggests that through participation in leisure, an individual can decrease stress while concurrently restoring and building up sustainable mental and physical capacities. Three types of leisure coping strategies exist: palliative coping, mood enhancement, and companionship. The purpose of this article is to propose the leisure-stress coping conceptual framework as a model for explaining benefits received from yoga participation via leisure coping strategies, which may explain or support improved ability to manage stress.

The Impact of the Causality between Work–Family Conflict, Well–Being, and Leisure Coping Strategies on Tour Professionals

ABSTRACTThis study is to investigate the impact of the causality between work–family conflict (WFC), well-being, and leisure coping strategies on tour professionals, and to verify the regulating role played by leisure coping strategies. The results suggest that when a tour professional experiences a high degree of WFC, perceived well-being is reduced. Applying leisure coping strategies affects the well-being of tour professionals to a high degree, and significantly regulates the relationship between WFC and well-being. To emphasize the role of internal marketing, this study concludes that leisure coping strategies must incorporate measures that provide direct benefits to tour professionals.

Student life stress and leisure participation

Stress is an inevitable part of university life. Understanding students' stress-coping behaviour is a topic of relevance to universities aiming to enhance student satisfaction with campus life and well-being in general. This research examined the dynamic relationships between student stress, anticipated leisure benefits, leisure participation and gender. The results have confirmed that anticipated leisure benefits are significantly related to student participation in leisure activities. While there seems to be no direct relationship between student stress and their leisure participation, perceived leisure benefits were shown to be a strong moderator in such a relationship. In this study, gender played a role in students' leisure-coping strategies.

Examining Rival Models of Leisure Coping Mechanisms

The present study examined the role of leisure in coping with stress and promoting good health. Using police and emergency response service workers (n = 132), this study tested a number of theoretically grounded leisure coping models to discover mechanisms by which leisure coping influences the relationship between stressors and adaptational outcomes (i.e., immediate adaptational outcomes such as coping effectiveness and stress reduction, and physical and mental health). Ensel and Lin's (1991) life stress paradigm was adopted to conceptualize these rival models (eight in total), and structural equation modeling was used to compare goodness of fit among the models to identify the best model. The findings suggest that stressors and leisure coping appear to independently influence adaptational outcomes. Leisure coping facilitated positive immediate adaptational outcomes that subsequently had a positive impact on health, irrespective of the level of stress experienced. The potential contribution of leisure to coping with stress and health is highlighted. Results suggest that the development of enduring beliefs about the role of leisure as ways of coping (i.e., leisure coping beliefs) seems essential for the actual and effective use of leisure as a means to manage stress (i.e., leisure coping strategies). Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Roles of Leisure in Coping with Stress Among University Students: A Repeated-Assessment Field Study

This article reports findings of a study to examine the effects of leisure coping on various stress coping outcomes including: immediate outcomes (perceived coping effectiveness, perceived satisfaction with coping outcomes, and perceived stress reduction) and distal or long-term outcomes (physical and mental ill-health and psychological well-being), above and beyond the contributions of general coping - coping not directly associated with leisure. A repeated-assessment field design was used to examine ways in which university students cope with stressors in their daily lives. The study found that leisure coping beliefs (leisure-generated dispositional coping resources) significantly predicted lower levels of mental and physical ill-health and greater levels of psychological well-being above and beyond the effects of general coping. Also, the use of leisure coping strategies (situation-specific stress coping strategies through leisure) was significantly associated with higher levels of perceived coping effectiveness and stress reduction when the effects of general coping were taken into account. Significant contributions of specific leisure coping dimensions were found as well.

The impact of leisure coping beliefs and strategies on adaptive outcomes

Despite the recent growth of leisure coping research, it is not entirely clear: what aspects of leisure best contribute to coping with stress, and how the mechanisms that link leisure to adaptive outcomes operate. Another limitation of this research has been a tendency to examine leisure coping independent of general coping - coping not directly associated with leisure (e.g., problem-focused coping). To help overcome these limitations, the purpose of this study was to test two models of leisure and coping: (a) an independent model and (b) a buffer model, when the effects of general coping were taken into account. The findings of the study using police and emergency response service workers suggest that the effects of leisure on adaptive outcomes differ depending on the type of leisure coping used. Situation-specific leisure coping strategies (i.e., actual coping behaviors and cognitions available through leisure) were significantly associated with effectiveness of coping, satisfactory coping outcomes, and stress reduction (i.e., immediate adaptive outcomes), whereas enduring leisure coping beliefs (i.e., personality dispositions and beliefs about the role of leisure as a means of managing stress) significantly predicted better physical health (as a long-term outcome), irrespective of the level of stress experienced. Both types of leisure coping had significant 'main effects' supporting the independent model. Also, evidence of the buffer model was found for the effects of leisure coping strategies on moderating the detrimental impact of stress on physical health. Implications of leisure coping research for health promotion and lifestyle intervention are discussed.

Testing an Optimal Matching Hypothesis of Stress, Coping and Health: Leisure and General Coping

The present study focused on examining different ways in which various coping strategies helped university students manage different types of stressful events and promote positive coping outcomes (e.g., coping effectiveness, emotions, health, and well-being) in their daily lives. The study adopted and tested an optimal matching model of stress and coping and used a repeated-assessment field approach. According to the participants’ descriptions and appraisals of events, daily hassles were classified into several groups: (a) academic stressors, (b) interpersonal stressors, (c) uncontrollable or less controllable stressful events, (d) controllable stressful events, and (e) stressful events damaging one’s self-esteem. Overall, the findings support the optimal matching model. A match or fit between the demand of a stressor and the function of a coping strategy tended to result in positive outcomes. A wider range of leisure coping strategies provided more positive outcomes for dealing with various types of daily hassles than general coping strategies (not directly associated with leisure) did. Some types of coping strategies (e.g., positive reinterpretation, leisure empowerment, and leisure mood enhancement) had a positive impact on managing all or many of the different types of stressful events experienced.

The effects of leisure beliefs and coping strategies on stress‐health relationships: A field study

The influence of leisure on the relationship between the stress that people experience and their health and well‐being was examined using a repeated assessment design. Specifically studied was the role of the relatively enduring beliefs people have about the ways in which their leisure helps them deal with stress (i.e., leisure coping beliefs), and the situation‐specific behavioural and cognitive strategies provided by their leisure choices (i.e., leisure coping strategies). Eighty‐five volunteer undergraduate students completed a variety of scales twice a week for two weeks (340 episodes in total). Several models of leisure and health were tested with structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression procedures, and stronger evidence was found for the direct effects, indirect effects and process models than for the buffer models. Beliefs that leisure contributes to empowerment (leisure empowerment) and friendships (leisure friendship) directly contributed to the reduction of mental illness symptoms and the enhancement of psychological well‐being. Also, stronger leisure friendship beliefs indirectly reduced mental illness symptoms and promoted psychological well‐being by suppressing the level of the stress experienced during the study period. Three types of leisure coping strategies (i.e., the use of leisure for companionship, palliative coping, and mood enhancement) had different mediating effects on stress‐health and well‐being relationships, depending on the types of stressful events encountered (i.e., academic Stressors and interpersonal Stressors). Several cognitive and emotional processes measured (appraisal of Stressors, coping outcomes, and mood states) also helped to explain these relationships.