Objectives: Research suggests that individuals with physical disabilities use leisure as a way of dealing with stress and receiving social support. A dearth of information exists about the relationships among leisure, coping, and social support. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of leisure activities associated with coping strategies and social support among Korean individuals with physical disabilities. Methods: We collected data from individuals who registered with the Korea Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities. After obtaining signed consent, 351 participants completed all 3 instruments: Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI), Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey, and Leisure Participation Involvement (LPI). Frequency, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were utilized. Results: Certain leisure activities served as predictors of different types of coping strategies and social support. In particular, participation in social activities was identified as the strongest predictor of coping strategies and social support, and physical activity participation was a strong predictor of the avoidance coping strategy. Conclusions: Social and outdoor activities participation provide important avenues for participants to develop the ability to deal with stress and create social support systems.
Research indicates that participation in culturally meaningful activity is beneficial for immigrants' health and well-being, yet older Korean immigrants struggle with accepting new cultural perspectives, which can negatively affect their health and well-being. Using in-depth interviews, this study was designed to capture the value of culturally meaningful activities for health among older Korean immigrants. Three themes were identified: (a) improved psychological well-being, (b) enhanced positive emotions and feelings, and (c) social connections developed with others. The findings suggest that by engaging in various culturally meaningful activities, older Korean immigrants gain a sense of social, cultural, and psychological significance in life. This study also provided evidence that older Korean immigrants maintain and develop their cultural identity through culturally meaningful activities.
Neighborhood social cohesion can contribute to leisure time physical activity (LTPA) involvement and psychological well-being. In spite of the value of neighborhood social cohesion for health benefits, there is a dearth of empirical study that explores how neighborhood social cohesion influences LTPA and mental health among older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association among neighborhood social cohesion, light-to-moderate and vigorous LTPA, and mental health in a representative sample of U.S. older adults ( n = 6,412). Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that older adults who perceived neighborhood social cohesion were more likely to participate in light-to-moderate and vigorous LTPA, which in turn resulted in better mental health. This study confirmed the importance of neighborhood social cohesion in promoting older adults’ health-related behaviors and mental health. The practical implications on how to promote mental health among older adults, as well as future research directions were discussed.
Research suggests that negative life events facilitate stress-related growth, such as the development of coping strategies and restoration skills. In this study, we aimed to capture the characteristics of stress-related growth among Korean adolescents who have visual impairments. Using a constructive grounded theory methodology, three themes were identified as characteristics of stress-related growth experiences: (a) developing meaningful relationships, (b) creating coping strategies, and (c) discovering personal strength. This study indicates that Korean adolescents who had visual impairments developed their own coping strategies to deal with various stressors and increased their awareness of their inner strengths and talents. It also suggests that challenging life circumstances may provide opportunities for Korean adolescents who have visual impairments to experience emotional wellbeing.
Research suggests that different levels of intensity of leisure walking can affect the mental health of older adults. Unfortunately, insufficient evidence exists as to the recommended intensity levels of leisure walking for their health benefits. The purpose of this study was to investigate how leisure walking intensity levels are associated with the mental health and health perceptions of older adults. Using a purposive sampling method, the data of 4,737 adults over the age of 65 were drawn from the 2017 California Health and Interview Survey. The results of analysis of these data showed that older adults who engaged in moderate and vigorous leisure walking reported higher health perceptions than those involved in light leisure walking. In addition, older adults who participated in moderate leisure walking reported higher mental health than those who engaged in light leisure walking. This study suggests that moderate and/or vigorous leisure walking can increase the mental health and health perceptions of older adults.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) involvement among older adults suffering from loneliness. Using data released from the Health and Retirement Study in 2008, this study investigated how participation in LTPA leads to well-being such as optimism, life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and positive affect among older adults with loneliness. Results indicated that the LTPA involvement was a significant predictor of optimism, life satisfaction, positive affect, and psychological well-being for older adults with a high level of loneliness. The interesting findings of this study were that LTPA enhanced positive emotions for older adults with loneliness and that positive emotions are one of the important factors in protecting individuals from illnesses.
There is a dearth of information pertaining to ethnicity and serious leisure among immigrants. The purpose of our study was to explore the health benefits of serious engagement in sports among Korean immigrants who are part of club activities. Using semi-structured in-depth interviews, we identified three themes associated with the benefits of serious leisure: (a) coping with acculturative stress, (b) creating ethnic strength, and (c) personal benefits. Participants gain personal and social benefits by pursuing leisure activities in a serious manner within their ethnic in-group.
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