María Jesús Monteagudo

The influence of meaningful leisure on the subjective well-being of older adults in the Basque Country of Northern Spain.

The Basque Country in northern Spain provides a regional context for a study of the impact of leisure on subjective well-being in later life. A sample of 755 residents of the three provinces of the Basque Country completed surveys that included measures of serious leisure, other leisure patterns and subjective well-being. Ten males and 10 females from this sample were interviewed for their stories of leisure experience in later life. Quantitative analysis of the survey data suggests a small, but statistically significant influence of serious leisure involvement, innovative activity involvement and volunteerism on several measures of subjective well-being. Qualitative interview data demonstrate that such influences are either enhanced or inhibited by family and social dynamics, and that the meaning derived from activity involvement requires an understanding of the family and community context. The use of mixed methods is recommended for further investigation of this subject.

Consecuciónes satisfactorias de la experiencia psicológica del ocio

El presente articulo aborda desde una perspectiva actual el tema de los Beneficios del Ocio, uno de los conceptos esenciales em el estudio del ocio como factor de desarrollo personal y social. Se aporta una vision evolutiva del concepto a traves de diferentes corrientes teoricas, subrayando la importancia de los beneficios del ocio entendidos desde una acepcion: como mejora de uma condicion o situacion de una persona, grupo o entidad, como prevencion y/o mantenimiento y finalmente, como consecucion de una experiencia psicologica satisfactoria en el marco de un ocio ajustado. Desde la perspectiva de la autora, el ocio promueve la consecucion de dos tipos de beneficios, intermedios y finales, que contribuyen a mejorar el bienestar y la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos. Los profesionales del ocio procedentes tanto del sector publico como del privado deberian tomar conciencia de los beneficios que pueden promoverse a traves del ocio e incorporar estos conocimientos en el diseno de politicas, estrategias de gestion y modelos de intervencion en ocio.

Gender Differences in Meaningful Leisure Among Older Adults: Joint Displays of Four Phenomena

Vital events, such as widowhood and retirement, are broadly accepted as points of inflection in the lives of older adults that often differ according to gender. In this study, we analyzed the influence of gender on meaningful leisure among older adults through the integration of qualitative and quantitative findings. The use of joint displays revealed that in this sample of people from Northern Spain: (1) there were no significant differences in the influence of retirement and widowhood on the leisure of the two genders, (2) the ethic of care was a constraining factor in older women’s leisure, (3) women were more innovative in their leisure in older age, and (4) volunteer activities were highly segregated by gender. The use of joint displays helped illuminate these four phenomena in light of quantitative and qualitative data.

Los itinerarios de ocio desde la investigación: tendencias, retos y aportaciones= Leisure Itineraries from a Research Perspective: Trends, Challenges and Contributions

Los itinerarios de ocio forman parte de los nuevos temas de investigacion asociados a los Estudios de Ocio. Su conocimiento nos aproxima a los procesos relacionados con el nacimiento, desarrollo y ocaso de nuestros hobbies y aficiones. Nos ayudan a comprender nuestro ocio y su incidencia en la satisfaccion de vida, pero tambien permiten esclarecer la funcion que estas practicas tienen respecto a nuestra autorrealizacion, identificacion y habitos de salud asociados a la calidad de vida. El articulo se detiene en la precision del concepto y analiza las principales corrientes de investigacion que nos aproximan al conocimiento de los itinerarios de ocio. Los autores revisados, fundamentalmente norteamericanos, abordan el tema desde una mirada amplia que, por un lado, cuestiona la incidencia de la continuidad y el cambio en la conformacion de las historias de ocio y, por otro, analiza la relevancia de las diferencias interpersonales en la evolucion de dichos itinerarios. Desde un enfoque estrictamente academico, una de las principales aportaciones de la aplicacion del concepto itinerario al estudio del ocio reside en la consolidacion del tratamiento del ocio como proceso. Lo que nos separa del estudio de los aspectos puramente objetivos para introducirnos en implicaciones personales sin las cuales resulta dificil comprender el significado de la experiencia de ocio. Al final se exponen los retos a los que nos abre el estudio del tema y, mas detenidamente, las aportaciones que supone tanto para la orientacion de la oferta educativa como para la implementacion de una pedagogia del ocio acorde con la actualidad. El estudio de los itinerarios de ocio permite reforzar la relevancia del ocio como factor de desarrollo humano a lo largo de la vida y legitima su impulso a traves de politicas especificas, modelos de gestion y medidas concretas de intervencion.

Los itinerarios de ocio desde la investigación: tendencias, retos y aportaciones

Leisure itineraries are part of the new research topics associated with Leisure Studies. Its knowledge brings us closer to the processes related to the birth, development and decline of our hobbies and interests. It helps us understand our leisure and its impact on life satisfaction, but also sheds light on the role of practices that have to do with our self-identification and health habits associated with the quality of life. The article focuses on the accuracy of the concept and discusses the main directions of research, enabling an approach to the current knowledge about itineraries. The authors referred to, mainly Americans, question the impact of continuity and change and, on the other hand, analyze the impact of interpersonal differences in the evolution of itineraries. From a strictly academic approach, one of the main contributions of the application of the concept of leisure itineraries to the study of consolidation lies in the treatment of leisure as a process. This point of view moves us away from the study of purely objective aspects and leads us to personal implications, without which the meaning of leisure experience is difficult to understand. At the end of the paper, the challenges the study opens and the contributions involving both the orientation of the educational offer and the pedagogy of leisure are presented. The study of leisure itineraries allows us to reinforce the importance of leisure as a factor of human development throughout life and legitimizes its support through specific policies, management models and intervention actions.