The purpose of the study was to examine the leisure patterns of nonresident fathers while spending time with their child(ren), and to examine leisure constraints, leisure facilitators and nonresident fathers' satisfaction with family leisure activities. Four instruments were used to collect the data. Family leisure involvement was measured using the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP), leisure constraints were measured using the Nonresident Father Leisure Constraint Scale (NFLCS), leisure facilitators were measured using the Nonresident Fathers' Leisure Facilitator Scale (NFLFS), and family leisure satisfaction was measured using the Family Leisure Satisfaction Scale (FLSS). The sample was nonresident fathers (n=129) from 36 states in the U.S. The data supported leisure constraints as a significant predictor of nonresident fathers' satisfaction with family leisure involvement, and their family leisure patterns. The data did not support, however, leisure facilitators as contributing to fathers' satisfaction with family leisure involvement or leisure patterns.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an adolescent's experience with different types of leisure (achievement, social or time-out) would moderate the negative effects of dysfunctional family process on an adolescent's emotional health. A model was tested that hypothesized that leisure experienced as achievement or social by adolescents would buffer the negative effects of a dysfunctional family. A sample of 243 clinical and non-clinical adolescents completed the Global Severity Index, the Family Assessment Device, and the Leisure Questionnaire. Three regression analyses were run for the whole sample (n=243), the male sample (n=150), and the female sample (n=93). In each analysis, more family dysfunction predicted more psychological symptoms. Using the whole sample, it was found that both social and time-out leisure (solitary activities) had a negative moderating effect, that is, increasing psychological symptoms, while achievement leisure had no moderating effects on symptoms. When looking at the regression analysis results for each gender, the male sample showed a time-out leisure moderating effect and the female sample showed a social leisure moderating effect—both increasing psychological symptoms. These findings were contrary to the hypothesis that leisure experienced as achievement or social leisure would buffer the negative effects of dysfunctional family process on adolescent emotional health. In fact, results suggested that some types of leisure may be harmful to some adolescents and that clinicians need to be aware of the types of leisure their adolescent clients are participating in, i.e. males experiencing leisure as time-out and females experiencing leisure as social may be related to more rather than less severe psychological symptoms. In addition, these results suggest the key importance of family process in adolescent emotional health and how important family-of-origin issues are when working with adolescents in clinical settings. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure satisfaction and satisfaction with family life. Zabriskie's Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to measure core, balance, and total family leisure satisfaction. The Satisfaction With Family Life Scale (SWFL) an adaptation of Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin's satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), done by Zabriskie and McCormick, was used to measure satisfaction with family life. The sample consisted of 898 parent and youth pairs from throughout the United States. Results indicated that there was a relationship between all family leisure satisfaction variables and satisfaction with family life. Data collected from both parents and youth in families provided insight into the nature of the relationship between family leisure satisfaction and satisfaction with family life. At the parent, youth, and family levels, core family leisure satisfaction had the most significant relationship with satisfaction with family life. These findings provide specific implications for researchers, parents, and professionals who work with families.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body image, attitudes about appearance, and levels of constrained leisure for college-age women and their mothers. It also examined how the body image concerns of young women are influenced by their mothers'. Thompson and Gray's Body-Image Assessment Scale (BIAS) was used to assess body image while Spangler's Beliefs About Appearance Scale (BAAS) was used to assess the participants' beliefs about appearance. Raymore's hierarchical leisure constraints scale was used to measure levels of leisure constraints. The sample was taken from female students at a private western American university and consisted of 116 daughters and 76 mothers. The data supported the hypotheses that body image and beliefs about appearance pose significant leisure constraints for college-age as well as middle-aged women. The data also indicated some maternal influence on appearance-related concerns of daughters.

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the relationship between family leisure involvement and aspects of family functioning (adaptability and cohesion) among Samoan families residing on American Samoa, and (b) to compare the Samoan data to a broad sample of American families to provide a cross-cultural comparison. The sample consisted of 340 adult participants. The Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP) was used to measure family leisure involvement. FACES II was used to measure family functioning. Regression analyses conducted on the 340 individuals indicated a positive relationship between core family leisure involvement and family cohesion, adaptability, and overall family functioning. The analyses also indicated a positive relationship between balance family leisure involvement and family adaptability, but no relationship between balance family leisure and family cohesion and overall family functioning. In addition, results indicated that there was no significant difference between American and Samoan families in their family functioning, but their family leisure involvement patterns differed.

In sports, peaking phases are often applied prior to important competitions. Peaking phases typically consist of a planned overreach followed by a taper ending with a few days of complete rest. However, during peaking phases, components of body composition such as body mass (BM), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) have been shown to be negatively impacted, which could compromise performance outcomes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to monitor body composition prior to and immediately after a peaking phase to determine if body composition changes occurred. Twelve powerlifters completed a seven-week training protocol designed to peak powerlifting performance. The first four weeks consisted of strength training designed to standardize participant training prior to the first testing session (T1). Following T1, the participants performed a one-week overreach followed by a one-week step-taper ending with 2 and 4 days of complete rest followed by a second testing session (T2). Each testing session consisted of a) measuring BM, FM, FFM, and SMM via bioelectrical impedance, and b) 1-repetition maximum (1RM) testing on back squat (BS), bench press (BP), and deadlift (DL). 1RM performances were summed together for a Powerlifting Total (PT), and Wilks Scores were applied to determine relative performance changes. There were no statistically significant changes in BM (p > 0.99), FM (p > 0.99), FFM (p > 0.99), or SMM (p > 0.99), suggesting a maintenance of body composition during the peaking phase. There were, however, statistically significant changes in 1RM-BS (p = 0.04), PT (p = 0.05), and Wilks Score (p = 0.02). These data suggest that two-week peaking phase can result in the maintenance of body composition alongside improvements in strength performance.

No description available.

Adolescents today have more unsupervised and unstructured free time than ever before. Poor decisions by youth during periods of free time may lead to substance abuse, teen pregnancy and juvenile delinquency. The highest frequency of juvenile crime, a major social problem, occurs during the 2-4 hours following the end of the school day. Research has demonstrated the benefits of engaging adolecents in prosocial leisure activity. However, no research has studied the issues of free time and leisure education with a delinquent population. This paper documents the impact of a leisure education curriculum on a population of delinquent youth in a randomized experiment. The delinquent youths who received the leisure education reported higher intrinsic motivation and better use of free time. The delinquent youths also reported improved decision making related to their involvement in healthy, prosocial free time activities. Finally, the improvement in the delinquent youths' motivation influenced a significant decrease in the delinquent youths' proneness to boredom during their free time.

Includes bibliographical references. / For geographers concerned with understanding the social dynamics of space, an investigation of leisure patterns and processes is vital. Studies of leisure will provide geography with a powerful focus for deconstructing the social forces operative within the urban landscape, and thus the construction of a detailed understanding of socio- spatial dialectics. This thesis analyses the state of leisure geography and identifies the issues central to theoretical development within this field. Of primary importance in this study is the contention that geographers have seldom been concerned with issues within the realm of leisure, and that their insights have been limited, given that these are frequently based on conservative discourses. A structuralist paradigm is advocated as the foundation for formulating a progressive framework for leisure studies. Such a framework, however, must be sensitive to the complex dialectics of agency and broader social constraints if it is to move beyond the determinism of past structuralist analyses of leisure. By attending both to issues of structural control and the importance of individual agency, it is possible to challenge the focus upon resource distribution that has dominated geographical enquiries in the realm of leisure. With reference to the history of South African recreation experiences and the broad principles of apartheid policy, it is shown that investigations of leisure need to include an appreciation of resource utilisation. In this way, the efforts and energies of communities can be recognised. The advantage of this is that a more empowering critique of leisure patterns and processes can be established. In order to demonstrate the value of such an approach, the thesis ends with a case study of leisure opportunities within a low-income residential area in Cape Town. More traditional, conservative analytical frameworks would have been unable to make visible the dynamics of resistance and control that are identified here. This thesis is informed by the wish to link academic enquiry to practical interventions into the sphere of leisure. The dialectics of control, resistance and transformation are manifested in both tangible geographical space and in intangible issues of resource utilisation. The implications of this reality are explored with reference to state, capitalist and community agendas.

Information behavior is a research field in library and information science concerned with how people seek, use and exchange information. This paper seeks to contribute to information behavior research in the domain of leisure, which has previously been explored to a lesser extent compared to academic and professional contexts. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the information behavior of hiking and outdoor life hobbyists. Two research questions are posed: 1) How do hiking and outdoor life hobbyists seek, use and exchange information in their hobby? 2) What information needs do hikers have and which sources of information do they use to fulfill these needs? The theoretical framework consists of sociologist Robert A. Stebbins’ (2009) Serious Leisure Perspective and Anders Hektor’s (2001) model of information behavior. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six hiking and outdoor life hobbyists and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results show that the participants seek, use and exchange information in various ways in their hobby, such as searching and gathering information when planning hikes and exchanging information with fellow hiking and outdoor enthusiasts. Information needs include information about the terrain, information about locations, information about equipment and practical information such as information about accommodation and weather information. Important sources of information include websites, social media, blogs, magazines, books, other people, and maps. The conclusion is made that hiking and outdoor life can be viewed as serious leisure and that this particular hobby means considerable interaction with information.