Psychological Factors, Leisure Activities, and Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Eleven Spanish-Speaking Countries

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of millions of people worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the effects of several psychological factors (self-esteem, self-control, and emotional stability) over lifestyle-related variables (time spent on leisure activities) and the levels of satisfaction (family, friends, work, and leisure satisfaction) experienced during the COVID-19 outbreak. Data for this article were retrieved as part of a cross-sectional international study conducted in eleven Spanish-speaking countries between March and September 2020. The analyses were conducted using the responses of 9500 persons (65.95% women, 34.05% men). Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the psychological variables on satisfaction variables mediated by the time engaged in leisure activities. Our model indicated that psychological factors significantly predicted the amount of time spent in leisure activities and satisfaction. Overall, results indicate that self-esteem is a relevant psychological factor to consider in the development of psychological interventions directed at promoting healthy lifestyles. Nevertheless, further research is needed to validate the direction of the associations found in this study.

Psycho-demographic factors as predictors of sports leisure activities among students of Olabisi Onabanjo University

“…The results of this study corroborated with the view of Zamani Sani et al (2016) who concluded that self-esteem significantly predicted how much time people spent engaging in leisure activities like sports and other hobbies while negatively predicting how much time was spent engaging in leisure activities like using social media and watching TV shows and videos. The results of this study also corroborated with the view of Hidalgo-Andrade, et al (2021) who concluded in their findings that self-esteem is a significant psychological element that contributes to achieving fulfillment in leisure activities.…”