Bryan Smale

Longitudinal analyses of the relationships among life transitions, chronic health problems, leisure, and psychological well‐being

In an attempt to integrate research on stress coping and research on psychological well‐being, we conducted longitudinal and disaggregated analyses of the relationships between leisure‐related constructs (i.e., level of leisure participation and the importance of leisure goals) and psychological well‐being for groups of individuals classified by gender and life events (i.e., chronic health problems and life transitions). Using two surveys on well‐being in Canada, we found that (a) overall, the participants showed relative stability or little change in psychological well‐being and leisure‐related variables; (b) some life events (e.g., becoming widowed for women and becoming unemployed for men) had more detrimental impacts on psychological well‐being than did others; (c) increased importance placed on leisure goals enhanced positive psychological well‐being for women who had become homemakers after having been employed, men who had experienced recent or long‐term illnesses, and men who had married; (d) incr...

Contributions of Leisure Participation in Predicting Stress Coping and Health among Police and Emergency Response Services Workers

This study examined the extent to which frequency and enjoyment measures of leisure participation predict adaptational outcomes, over and above the contributions of general coping. Police and emergency response services workers (N = 132) participated in the study, and a repeated measures design was used. The study provides evidence that the type of leisure activity matters in predicting immediate adaptational outcomes (coping effectiveness, coping satisfaction and stress reduction) and mental and physical health. Relaxing leisure was found to be the strongest positive predictor of coping with stress, while social leisure and cultural leisure significantly predicted greater mental or physical health.

An Examination of Relationship Between Psychological Well-Being and Depression and Leisure Activity Participation Among Older Adults

Abstract Previous research has suggested that leisure participation is positively related to an individuals physical well-being and overall life satisfaction, but has generally neglected its relationship to psychological well-being and depression. Older adults are most susceptible to declines in these psychological states because of the losses typically associated with the aging process. Therefore, in this paper, the relationships between leisure activity participation and psychological well-being and depression are examined for older adults. Participation in passive leisure activities (television viewing and hobbies and crafts), social leisure activities (visiting friends and participation in social clubs and organisations), and physically active pursuits (walking for exercise and swimming) was assessed for its affect on both the psychological well-being and depression of individuals over the age of 55. These relationships are further examined within the context of sex, age, and marital status to determ...

A Short-Term Longitudinal Analysis of Leisure Coping Used by Police and Emergency Response Service Workers

Despite the growth of leisure coping research, an important yet neglected idea is whether or not and how leisure contributes to coping with stress above and beyond the effects of general coping; that is, coping not directly associated with leisure (e.g., problem-focused coping). The purpose of the present study was to examine the contributions of leisure to coping with stress and maintaining good physical and mental health among workers of police and emergency response services when the effects of general coping were taken into account. According to hierarchical regression analyses, leisure coping showed a positive relationship with both short-term and longer-term outcomes of stress and coping above and beyond the contributions of general coping. It is worth emphasizing that mental health was significantly predicted only by leisure coping, not by general coping. The use of leisure for enhancing mood and facilitating palliative coping was found to significantly predict coping effectiveness, satisfaction with coping, and stress reduction. The facilitation of palliative coping and companionship through leisure was related to good mental health, whereas high leisure empowerment was associated with better physical health. Implications of the findings and future research perspectives on leisure coping are discussed.

Ecotourism and natural resource protection: implications of an alternative form of tourism for host nations.

The growth of special interest tourism, or ecotourism, brings with it several concerns associated with the protection of the natural areas and features to which these types of tourists are drawn. In this paper, the concept of ecotourism is examined first as a form of alternative tourism, then case study examples are described that exemplify the special concerns for the natural resource base of host nations, and a profile of Canadian ecotourists to Costa Rica is presented as an illustration, their unique behaviours and expectations. Finally, the implications of ecotourism for host nations and for ecotourists are discussed emphasising the need to develop a management strategy that both protects the natural resource base of the host nation and provides the types of experiences that ecotourists expect from their visit.

Bittersweet Journeys: Meanings of Leisure in the Institution-Based Caregiving Context

Research on leisure and caregiving has focused almost exclusively on caregivers providing care in the community. Guided by a symbolic interactionist approach and the conceptual framework of the caregiving career, the purpose of this study was to examine the meaning of leisure in the institution-based caregiving context. How family members define their roles and how those role definitions then influence the meaning of leisure was explored within a naturalistic, grounded theory approach using active interviews and personal logs as the data collection strategies. Five alternative caregiving role manifestations were identified and they very much affected the way that leisure was perceived in this context. The meanings of leisure—as constriction, as moments, and as reclamation—changed and evolved as the caregiving career did. The changeability and contradictions inherent in the meanings of leisure over the careers of caregivers are central concepts in an emerging grounded theory concluding the paper.

Polar Bear Viewers as Deep Ecotourists: How Specialised Are They?

Individuals visiting natural areas, such as national parks, or engaging in certain outdoor recreation activities like birdwatching, are often assumed to be ecotourists and also concomitantly assumed to be highly specialised by virtue of their behaviour. In this study, tourists visiting the Churchill Wildlife Management Area in Canada to view polar bears are examined using a comprehensive index of specialisation and compared to selected demographic variables and indicators of environmental concern. The results suggest that these visitors reflect a wide range of levels of specialisation, and that the majority of visitors are novices who might not share the same degree of concern for the environment or the same motives for visiting as their more specialised counterparts. Concerns for management of natural areas for wildlife viewing are raised based on these findings.

Effect of Environmental Context on the Experience of Polar Bear Viewers in Churchill, Manitoba

Despite the recent growth of wildlife viewing, research on the human dimensions of wildlife tourism in protected areas has been limited. This is surprising because if no monitoring is done, then understanding and responding appropriately to both the benefits and impacts of wildlife tourism in protected areas is almost impossible. In this study, data were gathered on the character of organised outings made by wildlife viewers visiting Churchill, Manitoba to see polar bears in situ. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of selected environmental factors, such as numbers of wildlife seen, amount of wildlife activity, and overall visibility, on the social dynamics and experience of the wildlife tourists. Results indicate that the number of polar bears seen is the only factor directly related to viewer attentiveness and group dynamics, and importantly, on-site satisfaction with the experience.

Life-cycle variations in across-the-week allocation of time to selected daily activities

Abstract In this paper, the relationships between three major concepts are examined: life-cycle, daily uses of time, and weekly rhythms of everyday life. Using data drawn from the 1986 General Social Survey (Canada), five life-cycle groupings are compared on the time each devotes to selected activities on each day of the week. Activities examined included work, domestic work, personal needs, and discretionary (leisure) time. Several significant differences are found between the various life-cycle groupings which appear to be attributable to situational circumstances associated with gender, marital status, employment status, and the presence of young children at home. The findings reported in the article point to the need to better understand the relationship between life-cycle and the weekly distribution of time.

Critical perspectives on place in leisure research.

Abstract Increasingly, place is being considered in the leisure studies literature as an important contextual factor influencing behaviour, shaping perceptions, and defining experiences. Such considerations, however, have largely neglected the literature in humanistic geography where many of the basic definitions, perspectives, and issues concerning place are rooted and continue to be debated. In this paper, some classic sources, in particular Relph (1976), as well as some contemporary contributions are briefly described to uncover where many of the perspectives on place have emerged and evolved. In addition, some cautionary notes are offered to remind leisure researchers that continuing to romanticize place will fail to acknowledge its negative implications for many groups, especially those who are marginalized by place. Finally, some observations are offered on where we, as leisure researchers, might take our inquiries in an effort to understand the impact of place.