The relationship among university students’ recreational flow experience, psychological resilience, social connectedness, and life satisfaction

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the relationships among recreational flow experience, social connectedness, psychological resilience, and life satisfaction in university students. Methods: The sample consisted of 810 (416 female, 394 male) university students from various universities in Istanbul who voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected using four standardized measurement instruments: the Recreational Flow Experience Scale, the Social Connectedness Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and Hayes' PROCESS Macro (Model 4) to test both direct and indirect association among the variables. Results: Recreational flow significantly is positively associated with social connectedness and psychological resilience. Social connectedness and psychological resilience each is positively associated with life satisfaction. Furthermore, the relationship between recreational flow and life satisfaction was accounted for by a parallel mediation structure, in which social connectedness and psychological resilience operated as complementary pathways. Discussion: These results indicate that both social and psychological processes contribute to explaining how recreational flow relates to life satisfaction. The study highlights the distinct roles of social connectedness and psychological resilience in strengthening the positive outcomes of recreational flow and provides empirical evidence on the interconnections among these four constructs in the university student population.