Ingrid E. Schneider

Leisure, Stress, and Coping: An Evolving Area of Inquiry

Stress and coping are prevalent and ubiquitous in our everyday lives. The degree and manner in which we experience stress, and ways in which we cope with stress, strongly influence our daily choices and their outcomes, including those related to leisure. Research on leisure, stress, and coping is important within a broad spectrum of leisure research since it can be potentially integrated with leisure research on constraints and negotiations, lifespan development, diversity, and lifestyle. Such integration works to bridge the gap in the leisure research community that is often characterized as isolated entities. One important tangible benefit of such integration is that stress and coping have the potential to be a common language for many researchers with diverse interests, and it thus leads to opportunities for enhanced communication and understanding, as well as for possible collaborations. We hope that this special issue, presenting a diverse collection of papers focused on leisure, stress, and coping, may instill such ambitious, but important, desire. The role of this issue is threefold: (1) to better identify relationships among leisure, stress, and coping, (2) to introduce new theoretical and methodological approaches for such research, and (3) to encourage increased attention to and collaborations related to leisure, stress, and coping research.

Dyadic Exploration of the Relationship of Leisure Satisfaction, Leisure Time, and Gender to Relationship Satisfaction

Despite a substantial amount of leisure research, little is known about the leisure activity patterns and satisfaction of couples and their influence, if any, on relationship satisfaction. Further, satisfaction and leisure activity research has been limited to married dyads and has not included a range of romantic partners. Leisure research has focused primarily on individual data, and this impedes fully understanding the joint construction of leisure in a couple and its outcomes. The present research extends efforts by examining the perceptions of dyads in diverse relationships and their effect on their leisure and relationship satisfaction. The model in this study is that gender, joint leisure time, and individual leisure satisfaction affect the relationship satisfaction of both an individual and his or her partner: the partner effect model. Questionnaires self-administered to both members of romantic dyads obtained information on the variables of interest. Results indicated moderate participant leisure satisfaction and a near-significant relationship between gender and relationship satisfaction. However, the model that individual leisure satisfaction would influence both an individual and a partners relationship satisfaction was not supported by the data. Nonetheless, dyadic research remains a rich area for conceptual and methodological advancement, and therefore subsequent research suggestions are presented.Despite a substantial amount of leisure research, little is known about the leisure activity patterns and satisfaction of couples and their influence, if any, on relationship satisfaction. Further, satisfaction and leisure activity research has been limited to married dyads and has not included a range of romantic partners. Leisure research has focused primarily on individual data, and this impedes fully understanding the joint construction of leisure in a couple and its outcomes. The present research extends efforts by examining the perceptions of dyads in diverse relationships and their effect on their leisure and relationship satisfaction. The model in this study is that gender, joint leisure time, and individual leisure satisfaction affect the relationship satisfaction of both an individual and his or her partner: the partner effect model. Questionnaires self-administered to both members of romantic dyads obtained information on the variables of interest. Results indicated moderate participant leisure...

Exploring the Touristic Image of Jordan

Destination image has received significant attention in recent Western travel literature. However, developing and lesser-developed countries have less research attention devoted to them despite the fact image is a key factor in determining travel decisions. This study explored current visitor images of a Middle Eastern country, Jordan. On-site interviews with tourists indicated a fairly positive image of Jordan, with improvements possible in service related areas. Marketing and research implications are suggested.

Visitor response to outdoor recreation conflict: A conceptual approach

Abstract Outdoor recreation conflict involves both a visitors perception of and response to conflict. While existing recreation conflict research has been insightful on factors leading to recreation conflict, it deals little with visitor response to conflict. To address the visitor‐response dimension in conflict, a conceptual framework based upon response to stressful situations is presented. The model, adapted from Lazarus and Folkmans (1984) stress‐response model, suggests personal and situational factors influence a series of appraisal processes that lead to a response to conflict. The conflict‐response framework is of particular interest since recreation research is deficient in this area.

Coping: An Alternative Conceptualization for Constraint Negotiation and Accommodation

Leisure constraint research has made significant contributions to the leisure field, and continues to evolve. Despite progress in understanding constraint negotiation, a comprehensive framework remains absent. Coping models have many parallels to the leisure constraint model, and can offer a deeper understanding of constraint negotiation by (a) recognizing additional personal and situational variables, (b) detailing the appraisal process, (c) defining accommodation and negotiation explicitly, (d) specifying coping responses for measurement, and (e) including outcomes beyond participation or preferences. Therefore, this paper puts forward a stress and coping framework to more comprehensively detail leisure constraint negotiation than current models.

The one-way mirror of leisure research: A need for cross-national social scientific perspectives

The modernization of the world economy and information systems leads, presumably, to globalization in all areas, including leisure research. To explore this idea, the level of cross-national research published in leading leisure-science journals, including the Journal of Leisure Research , Leisure Sciences , and Leisure Studies was examined. F ollowing the dramatic shift toward globalization in the past 20 years, it was assumed leisure-science research would reflect an increase in cross-national research published. Using content analysis, 1352 published articles were reviewed and just 20 (1.5%) of these were cross-national. Reasons for this pattern are discussed, along with a call for scholars in the leisure sciences to shift toward a more international perspective.

Cross-Cultural Claims on Devils Tower National Monument: A Case Study

A dispute between American Indians and rock climbers over the appropriate use of Devils Tower National Monument in northeast Wyoming reflects fundamental differences in culture and world view. The United States Department of the Interior (USDI) National Park Services (NPS) attempt to resolve this dispute with a voluntary ban on climbing during the month of June in deference to American Indian cultural and religious practices, and subsequent court rulings upholding the NPS policy, illustrate a widening circle of respect for, and accommodation of, divergent interpretations of humankinds relationship with the natural world.

Crowding and Experience-Use History: A Study of the Moderating Effect of Place Attachment Among Water-Based Recreationists

Effective recreation resource management relies on understanding visitor perceptions and behaviors. Given current and increasing pressures on water resources, understanding crowding evaluations seems important. Beyond crowding, however, variables that possibly relate to or influence crowding are of interest and in particular, place attachment and experience-use history (EUH). As EUH is related to place attachment and likely affects crowding, this study explored the moderating effect of place attachment dimensions on the relationships between EUH and visitor crowding evaluations. Water based recreationists at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site were contacted onsite and asked questions related to experience-use history, crowding evaluations, place attachment, and activity participation. Anglers and campers at the site identified similar crowding perceptions and place attachments. Only one of eight models tested revealed a moderating effect. Specifically, place identity moderated the relationship between the total times visited in the past twelve months and expected crowding among anglers. As such, the quest continues to understand the relationship among these important variables.

Parks and health: Differences in constraints and negotiation strategies for park-based leisure time physical activity by stage of change

BACKGROUND Public parks are increasingly recognized as important places that facilitate physical activity. Despite the presence of parks, constraints to recreation and physical activity at parks exist. As the health benefits identified with physical activity require long-term and regular activity, it is important to examine factors pertaining to physical activity participation beyond initiation. This study explored differences in reported constraints to park based physical activity and negotiation strategies by physical activity stage of change. METHODS Data were collected among visitors to one Minnesota state park via onsite and follow-up questionnaires. RESULTS The average visitor had a healthier weight than the average U.S. and Minnesota adult and the majority of visitors were meeting the physical activity recommendations (86.4%). Respondents in the inactive/insufficient stages were more constrained and used fewer negotiation strategies than respondents in the maintenance stage. CONCLUSIONS Results both support and expand on previous research findings. Specifically, this study supports research which indicates the adoption and maintenance of physical activity are influenced by different individual, social and environmental factors, and expands the research base by examining constraints and negotiation at different physical activity stages in a park setting. Implications of these findings provide directions for future stage-based intervention efforts.

The lived body experience of domestic violence survivors: An interrogation of female identity

In this article, female identity is explored through an analysis of the lived body experience of domestic violence survivors. Qualitative interviews focused on the conceptual relationships between eight survivors and their bodies. The female body, as it is degraded and sexualized in patriarchal Western culture, is socially accepted as the core of female identity. Along with body awareness, the very identities of the abused women in this study seem to disappear, and we argue that this is largely made possible by these systems of patriarchal domination and definition. We also suggest the possibility of reclaiming the female self by reconnecting with the body. Based on the womens responses, we explore the feasibility of various recreational activities (e.g., sports, camping, hiking) as a means of reconnection and probe the ways that patriarchal norms may affect this aspect of recovery.