Hierarchical Dimensions of Leisure Stress Coping

Several ways in which leisure can help people cope with stress have been proposed and studied, but a comprehensive set of leisure stress-coping types or dimensions has not been identified. The purpose of this article is to propose a new conceptualization of leisure stress coping and identify different ways in which leisure may contribute to people's ability to cope with stress. The dimensions of leisure stress coping proposed (e.g., a self-determination disposition, leisure empowerment, leisure companionship, leisure palliative coping) are based on an integrative review of social psychological research and leisure research on stress and coping. As an initial attempt to explore a potential of the conceptual model, we developed new scales for measuring the dimensions of leisure stress coping. The examination of internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis of the scales provided preliminary evidence for the scales' reliability and validity. Implications for future research regarding the conceptual model and the stress-coping scales are discussed.