Open Access

ARTICLE

Investigating the Relationships among Leisure, Coping, and Personal Growth among People with Physical Disabilities

Junhyoung Kim^1,*, Jaehyun Kim², Chungsup Lee³, Namyun Kil⁴, Youngkhill Lee⁵

1 Department of Health & Wellness Design, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
2 Department of Recreation, Therapeutic Recreation, & Tourism, Suny Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420, USA
3 Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
4 Department of Recreation Management and Therapeutic Recreation, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
5 Department of Kinesiology, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA

* Corresponding Author: Junhyoung Kim. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2021, 23(4), 533-543. https://doi.org/10.32604/IJMHP.2021.016321

Received 26 February 2021; Accepted 23 June 2021; Issue published 28 October 2021

Abstract

Little information exists with regard to the relationship between leisure and coping mechanisms among people with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among leisure, coping, and personal growth among people with physical disabilities living in the U.S. Using a purposive sampling strategy, 121 participants completed all 3 instruments: assessment of leisure and recreation involvement, coping strategy indicator, and personal growth. Frequency, descriptive analysis, Pearson correlations, and path analysis were utilized to test the relationship between leisure involvement, coping strategies, and personal growth. There were statistically significant direct effects of leisure involvement and avoidance-withdrawal coping strategies on personal growth. The effects of social support seeking coping strategies and problem-solving coping strategies on personal growth were not statistically significant. Results also indicated that leisure involvement had significant direct effects on social support seeking, avoidance-withdrawal, and problem-solving coping strategies. The results demonstrated that leisure engagement was associated with coping strategies and personal growth. In particular, leisure engagement had direct effects on problem-solving coping, social seeking coping, and avoidance/withdrawal coping as well as a direct effect on personal growth.

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Keywords

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