The Effect of Participation in Leisure Time Activities on Quality of Life (QOL) During the COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant changes in people's lives that they had not experienced before were seen, and quarantines and restrictions imposed by countries have negatively affected individuals' physical and mental health. People initially stayed home to protect themselves from the virus, but as normalization began, they turned to outdoor activities to socialize while maintaining social distancing. In this context, this study's purpose is to investigate the level of participation of people in leisure activities due to lockdown practices and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of this participation on the quality of life. For this purpose, a survey form was developed to determine the effect of participation in leisure activities during the COVID-19 period on the quality of life of individuals living in Turkey was applied to 547 people. To ensure the reliability and validity of our measurement model, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS 24.0. To test the hypotheses, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM). As a result of the research indicates that behavioral leisure attitudes were negatively associated with life quality (β = -0.31, p < 0.01). Still, no direct statistical association was found between affective or cognitive leisure attitudes and life quality. The research findings provide empirical evidence that behavioral aspects of leisure engagement play a more direct role in shaping individuals’ perceptions of quality of life compared to affective or cognitive leisure attitudes.