The relationship among leisure attitude, satisfaction, and psychological well-being for college students.
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: IntroductionIn general, leisure activities are defined as non-obligatory and non-work activities based on individuals' enjoyment and interests in their free time (Hills & Argyle, 1998; Holder, Coleman, & Sehn, 2009; Ragheb & Tate, 1993). Chen, Li, and Chen (2013) explained that leisure plays a significant role of having pleasure and a sense of achievement for individuals in global society. The amount of time people spend on leisure activities is increasing. According to the Statistics Portal report (2015), about 95 percent of population in the United States was engaged in leisure activities in 2013. In particular, 40 percent participate in individual activities (e.g., watching TV, reading a book), 20 percent on team activities (e.g., basketball, football), and another 40 percent on outdoor activities (e.g., running). The importance of leisure participation has been to have positive effects on individuals' physical and psychological conditions (Shin & You, 2013).Over the past decades, several scholars (e.g., Caldwell, 2005; Lloyd & Auld, 2002; Ragheb & Tate, 1993) have examined the benefit of leisure participation. Caldwell (2005) provided evidence that leisure activities are positively associated with physical and psychological well-being. Lloyd and Auld (2002) indicated that individuals who are highly involved in leisure activities have a higher quality of a growing concern for individuals, communities, and governments.This is consistent with the studies conducted by Ragheb and Tate (1993) and Teixeira and Freire (2013) indicating that participating in leisure activities with positive attitude can enhance level of well-being and life satisfaction.Leisure attitudeRagheb and Beard (1982) revealed that attitude toward leisure activities can be one of the important elements to determine individuals' willingness or predisposition to participate in leisure activities. Ragheb and Tate (1993) mentioned that leisure attitude was positively related to leisure participation. Moreover, leisure attitude can increase leisure participation which results in developing leisure satisfaction (Freire , 2013; Teixeira & Freire, 2013). This parallels findings from Haworth and Lewis (2005) which indicated that positive attitudes toward leisure activities are interrelated with individuals' satisfaction derived from participation in leisure activities. According to Ragheb and Beard (1982), leisure attitude contains three components including cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. They defined the cognitive component as general knowledge and beliefs about leisure, its characteristics and how it relates to the quality of the individual's life, the affective component was explained as feelings in relation to leisure, the degree to which the individual likes or dislikes leisure activities and experiences, and the behavioral component was defined as past, present and intended actions regarding leisure activities and experiences (Ragheb & Beard, 1982, p. 158).Leisure satisfactionLeisure satisfaction was explained as positive personal evaluation derived from participation in leisure activities (Ragheb & Tate, 1993). Campbell (1981) expressed satisfaction as a linkage between individuals' belief and expectation. He also found that individuals would be less satisfied when the gap between belief and expectation is large. This result parallels findings from Stock, Okun, and Benin's study (1986) which indicated a sense of satisfaction is based on individuals' expectation what they need or want from the circumstances. Along with the important role of satisfaction in leisure studies, Mancini (1978) proposed that there was positive relationship between satisfaction of leisure activities and psychological well-being. Moreover, leisure satisfaction is highly related to life satisfaction by decreasing students' stress and encouraging social activities (Berg & Neulinger, 1976; Folse, Darosa, & Folse, 1985; Riddick, 1985; Russell, 1987; Sneegas, 1986). …
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W809033957