The Impact of Leisure Activities on the Mental Health of Older Adults: The Mediating Effect of Social Support and Perceived Stress

Abstract

As the aging continues, China has become the country with the largest older population. In order to ensure the well-being of older adults in their later years, the whole society is increasingly concerned about the mental health of older adults. In 2019, we conduct a questionnaire survey in Shaanxi Province. Stratified random sampling is used to select three representative cities, and 677 samples are selected from the survey results for research. By using the structural equation model, we aim to reveal the mechanism of leisure activities’ influence on mental health of the older adults and verify whether social support and perceived stress play a mediating role. The study finds that the older adults’ leisure activities have no significant direct impact on mental health. Social support has a significant mediating effect between leisure activities and mental health of the older adults. Leisure activities indirectly affect the mental health of the older adults through social support, and participation in leisure activities can improve the social support of the older adults, thus improving the mental health level of the older adults. Perceived stress plays a significant mediating role between leisure activities and mental health of the older adults. By participating in leisure activities, the perceived stress of the older adults will be reduced, thus improving their mental health. Social support and perceived stress play a sufficient mediating role in the influence of leisure activities on mental health.

Proactive Coping and Mental Health Among Airline Pilots During China's Regular Prevention and Control of COVID-19: The Role of Perceived Stress and Social Support

“…These findings are consistent with the results of prior studies of the relationship between proactive coping and perceived stress ( 20 ). They also align with studies of the effect path between perceived stress and mental health ( 7 , 17 ). Although previous studies have shown that proactive coping plays an important role in improving life satisfaction, personal growth, and health ( 5 , 8 , 11 ), the underlying mediating effect of perceived stress had not previously been established.…”

“…These findings echo those related to the stress-buffering model of social support ( 25 ), and deepen our understanding of the beneficial effects of social support on the occupational health of pilots during the regular prevention and control of COVID-19. Previous research has demonstrated that social support can improve mental health directly ( 17 ), and our study has shown how social support buffers the negative implications of a lack of proactive coping on mental health as a boundary condition. Thus, our study suggests that social support can also improve occupational health in the workplace by playing a compensatory role, thereby extending the literature on social support as a boundary condition.…”

“…A study of black women exposed to sexual violence found that perceived stress was strongly related to symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ( 7 ). Perceived stress has also been demonstrated to be an important risk factor for poor mental health among young adults ( 16 ) and older adults ( 17 ). Furthermore, proactive coping was demonstrated as an important predictor of perceived stress ( 18 , 19 ).…”

Mature and Older Adults’ Perception of Active Ageing and the Need for Supporting Services: Insights from a Qualitative Study

“…In the context of the pandemic, the content of leisure activities of older adults has also been greatly transformed and restricted. Participation in leisure activities allows them to improve mental health [75] and to re-engage with life once freed from middleage responsibilities [76]. As argued by Rosseau [26], older adults find involvement in engaging themselves in community activities such as clubs, churches, non-governmental organizations, voluntary activities, or other social groups.…”

The mediating role of psychological resilience between social participation and life satisfaction among older adults in China

“…Social and spiritual support leads to a reduction in mental health illness risks and an increase in psychological resilience in this population. Activities such as sports and travel can increase the intrinsic motivation of older adults and thus improve their mental health [52]. Participating in social events, such as voluntary events, can improve individuals' mental health through the establishment of social connections and selfmotivations [53].…”