The Contribution of Leisure Participation and Leisure Satisfaction to Life Satisfaction of Older Persons

The goal of this investigation was to test the interrelationships among leisure satisfaction, leisure participation, life satisfaction and some other variables (such as satisfaction with family, health, and standard of living) of older persons 55 years of age and above (N = 565). Employing multiple regression analysis, a set of six variables explained 39 percent of the variance in life satisfaction (leisure satisfaction, satisfaction with standard of living, satisfaction with family relations and activities, satisfaction with health, leisure participation, and marital status). Leisure satisfaction showed the greatest contribution, accounting for 20 percent of the variance in life satisfaction (more than 50 percent of the total variance explained). Also, it was found that (1) the higher the frequency of participation in leisure activities, the higher the life satisfaction (r =.34); (2) the more the leisure participation, the higher the leisure satisfaction (r =.53); (3) the greater the leisure satisfaction, the greater the life satisfaction (r =.43); and (4) all the six leisure satisfaction components correlated positively with life satisfaction. These findings point out the need to offer older persons leisure opportunities and experiences with the potential for leisure satisfaction.