Leisure Attitude, Self-Rated Health, and Psychological Well-Being in Older Adults: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Francisco Rodríguez-Cifuentes,1,* M Angeles López-Gonzalez,1,* Fernando Rubio-Garay,2,* Gabriela Topa,3,* Pedro Belo,4,* Ricardo Pocinho,5,* Silvia Silva,6,* Juan José Fernández-Muñoz1,* 1Psychology Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain; 2Associated Center in Albacete, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Albacete, Spain; 3Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain; 4Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Setúbal, Portugal; 5Instituto Politécnico de Leira- CICS NOVA, Leira, Portugal; 6Escola Superior de Educação e Ciências Sociais Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Leiria, Portugal*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: M Angeles López-Gonzalez, Psychology Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Av. de Atenas, s/n, Alcorcón, Madrid, 28922, Spain, Email [email protected]: A positive leisure attitude among older adults may have a beneficial effect on psychological well-being, both directly and indirectly by fostering a more positive perception of one’s health. This paper presents a correlational design that explores associations among leisure attitude, self-rated health, and psychological well-being, and analyzes the potential moderating role of gender in these relationships.Patients and Methods: The sample was selected using simple random probability sampling (N= 409; 61.9% female; Mean age = 72.9; SD = 8.43¸ Range of age 53 to 93 years). Diverse sociodemographic information was collected, and leisure attitudes, self-perceived health, and psychological well-being (positive affect and emotional ties) were assessed.Results: The results revealed a positive effect of leisure attitude on self-rated health and psychological well-being, with self-rated health fully mediating the association between the behavioral component of leisure attitude and psychological well-being. Furthermore, the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between self-rated health and psychological well-being was stronger among men.Conclusion: Positive cognitive and emotional perceptions of leisure among older adults seem to benefit psychological well-being and improve self-rated health, thereby contributing to healthy ageing.Keywords: ageing, older adults, gender, attitudes to leisure, psychological well-being, emotional ties

Keywords

• ageing
• older adults
• gender
• attitudes to leisure
• psychological well-being
• emotional ties.