Leisure involvement and the subjective well-being of young adults with mental retardation
Lee, Laura L.
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/20543
Description
Title
Leisure involvement and the subjective well-being of young adults with mental retardation
Author(s)
Lee, Laura L.
Issue Date
1990
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Kleiber, Douglas A.
Department of Study
Recreation, Sport and Tourism
Discipline
Recreation, Sport and Tourism
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Health Sciences, Mental Health
Health Sciences, Recreation
Health Sciences, Human Development
Language
eng
Abstract
This study was an analysis of interviews of young adults with mental retardation (N = 87) to examine an hypothesized path model of direct and indirect associations between socially- and competence-oriented leisure involvement and subjective well-being. The indirect associations were hypothesized influences of leisure involvement on subjective well-being through improving social communication skills, functional skills, and increasing social support which, in turn, were proposed to affect subjective well-being. Research questions were also addressed on differences suggested in the literature among associations with personal and social adjustment dimensions of subjective well-being, gender of subjects, and severity of mental retardation. The study was made possible through an investigation of the effects of participation in leisure programs on the community integration of persons with disabilities as they made the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. The principal investigator was Dr. D. Kleiber with coordinator C. Ashton-Schaffer and graduate research assistants C. Hood, S. Wu, and the author.
Results suggested support for hypothesized direct positive associations between leisure involvement and the subjective well-being of young adults with moderate/severe levels of mental retardation. No direct associations were found for males with mild mental retardation while increases in leisure involvement were directly associated with the diminished personal adjustment of females of this severity level. None of the indirect associations were supported but unexpected negative relationships were found between subjective well-being and social and functional skills for males that were in the expected positive direction for females.
Implications of the study were that intervention efforts to facilitate the subjective well-being of young adults with mental retardation living in the community should vary for individuals depending upon gender and severity of disability. Leisure education, which therapeutic recreation specialists are the most appropriate professionals to provide, could decrease potentially self-demeaning effects from leisure involvement through emphasizing enjoyment and personal satisfaction with individual capabilities rather than comparisons between persons and by addressing unpleasant attitudes of others who, for example, exclude or reject persons with disabilities from leisure involvement.
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