The study of the relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction for older adults in taipei

Introduction

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction for older adults, ages 65 years and older, in Taipei, Taiwan. In addition, the study also examined differences within five demographic variables (gender, age, educational level attained, perceived health status, and perceived economic status) with regard to leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction.

Methods

A purposive sample of programs for adults 65 years and older was drawn in Taipei, Taiwan. The population sample included 450 older adults and yielded 402 subjects involved in a variety of programs at distinct locations where the majority of senior citizen groups congregated. The study instrument consisted of four sections: the Leisure Participation Involvement (LPI), the Leisure Satisfaction Scale (LSS), the Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z), and demographic data. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and the one-way analysis of variance were utilized for data analysis.

Results

The results showed:
1. There were significant relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction.
2. There were some significant differences within each of the demographic variables (age, educational level attained, and perceived health status) with regard to leisure participation.
3. There were some significant differences within each of the demographic variables (perceived health status and perceived economic status) with regard to leisure satisfaction.
4. There were some significant differences within each of the demographic variables (gender, educational level attained, perceived health status, and perceived economic status) with regard to life satisfaction.

Discussion / Conclusions

The results of this study also showed significant positive relationships among life satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, and leisure participation, consistent with previous studies of Ragheb and Griffith (1982), Foret (1985), Boley (2001), and Huang (2003). Although these studies were done in different places with different groups of people, the results were identical with regard to the relationships of the variables in question. Therefore, it was likely that different cultures or populations did not have an impact on the results. In conclusion, the study results showed that there were significant positive relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Therefore, participating in leisure activities was very important for older adults since it could enhance their quality of life.

References

[1]. Beard, J. G., & Ragheb, M. G. (1980). Measuring leisure satisfaction. Journal of Leisure Research, 12(1), 20-33.
[2]. Boley, B. J. (2001). Life satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, and leisure participation among publicly housed older adults. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Canella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
[3]. Foret, C. M. (1985). Life satisfaction, leisure satisfaction, and leisure participation among young-old and old-old adults with rural and urban residence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Texas Woman’s University, Denton.
[4]. Huang, C. Y. (2003). The relationships among leisure participation, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction of college students in Taiwan.Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas.