NCJ Number
167082
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 124 Dated: (Winter 1996) Pages: 883-901
Date Published
1996
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This North Queensland, Australian adolescent leisure study explored the extent to which adolescent leisure experiences were mediated by individual and situational variables.
Abstract
Australia's "sporting nation" image has been challenged by adolescents' decreasing involvement in active leisure pursuits. A significant number of adolescents experience leisure boredom and dissatisfaction, which have been implicated in drug use and delinquency. Researchers have largely ignored the multivariate nature of adolescent leisure experiences. In the study reported in this article, 75 Cairns and 65 Atherton high school students (66 males and 74 females) were surveyed from grades 8, 10, and 12 (ages 12 to 19), during normal class periods. The Self-Rating Scale measure of self-esteem, Sensation-Seeking Scale Form II, Leisure Boredom Scale, and a time-use inventory yielded quantitative data. Urban adolescents reported less leisure satisfaction. Participation was highest for passive leisure and lowest for active leisure. Urban adolescents reported higher social leisure, and rural adolescents engaged in more passive leisure. For both Cairns and Atherton, the heaviest substance users were those who scored low on self-esteem and high on sensation-seeking. Atherton adolescents who scored low on self- esteem but high on sensation-seeking reported the most crime involvement. Methodological issues and implications are discussed and suggestions made for future research. 1 table, 1 figure, and 42 references