IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3243-d767769.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Recreation Specialization and Self-Efficacy on Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Flow Experience

Author

Listed:
  • Haibo Tian

    (School of Teacher Education, Shaoxing University, No. 508 Huan Cheng Xi Road, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing 312000, China)

  • Wenting Zhou

    (Department of Physical Education, Zijingang Campus, College of Education, Zhejiang University, No. 388 Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Yajun Qiu

    (Department of Physical Education, Zijingang Campus, College of Education, Zhejiang University, No. 388 Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China)

  • Zheng Zou

    (Department of Physical Education, Shenyang Polytechnic College, No. 32 Lao Dong Road, Shenyang 110045, China)

Abstract

Previous studies confirmed that leisure sport participation could contribute to people’s life satisfaction. However, little is known about the predictors of life satisfaction in the context of long-distance running. A model was proposed in this study to examine the relationship between recreation specialization, self-efficacy, flow experience, and life satisfaction. An online questionnaire was distributed to long-distance runners in China, and a total of 404 valid questionnaires were obtained for data analysis in this study. Results indicated that recreation specialization and self-efficacy had a direct and positive effect on runners’ flow experience; recreation specialization, self-efficacy, and flow experience were positively associated with runners’ life satisfaction. Furthermore, flow experience partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and life satisfaction, while it fully mediated the role of recreation specialization in life satisfaction. The findings shed some new insights for understanding the influence of leisure sport engagement on people’s life satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Haibo Tian & Wenting Zhou & Yajun Qiu & Zheng Zou, 2022. "The Role of Recreation Specialization and Self-Efficacy on Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Flow Experience," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-10, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3243-:d:767769
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3243/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3243/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. María del Rocio Medrano-Ureña & Rosario Ortega-Ruiz & Juan de Dios Benítez-Sillero, 2020. "Physical Fitness, Exercise Self-Efficacy, and Quality of Life in Adulthood: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Lung Chen & Yun-Ci Ye & Mei-Yen Chen & I-Wu Tung, 2010. "Alegría! Flow in Leisure and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Event Satisfaction Using Data from an Acrobatics Show," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 99(2), pages 301-313, November.
    3. Haibo Tian & Wenting Zhou & Yajun Qiu & Yi Shang, 2021. "The Impact of Cycling Specialization on Successful Aging and the Mediating Role of Loneliness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Wenting Zhou & Yajun Qiu & Haibo Tian & Jiao Xu, 2021. "Women Runners in China: Constraints Negotiation Process of Serious Leisure," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Hwasung Song & Alan R. Graefe & Kyungmin Kim & Chanyul Park, 2018. "Identification and Prediction of Latent Classes of Hikers Based on Specialization and Place Attachment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-16, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dong-Jin Lee & M. Joseph Sirgy, 2018. "What Do People Do to Achieve Work–Life Balance? A Formative Conceptualization to Help Develop a Metric for Large-Scale Quality-of-Life Surveys," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(2), pages 771-791, July.
    2. Shichang Deng & Jun Gao, 2017. "The Mediating Roles of Work–Family Conflict and Facilitation in the Relations Between Leisure Experience and Job/Life Satisfaction Among Employees in Shanghai Banking Industry," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 18(6), pages 1641-1657, December.
    3. Lung Hung Chen & Chia-Huei Wu & Jen-Ho Chang, 2017. "Gratitude and Athletes’ Life Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of Mindfulness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1147-1159, August.
    4. Haibo Tian & Wenting Zhou & Yajun Qiu & Yi Shang, 2021. "The Impact of Cycling Specialization on Successful Aging and the Mediating Role of Loneliness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, December.
    5. María Belén Gómez-Martín, 2019. "Hiking Tourism in Spain: Origins, Issues and Transformations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-13, July.
    6. Uysal, Muzaffer & Sirgy, M. Joseph & Woo, Eunju & Kim, Hyelin (Lina), 2016. "Quality of life (QOL) and well-being research in tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 244-261.
    7. Mai Thi My-Quyen & Le Nguyen Hau & Pham Ngoc Thuy, 2020. "Mindful co-creation of transformative service for better well-being," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 14(3), pages 413-437, September.
    8. Katarzyna Kotarska & Maria Alicja Nowak & Leonard Nowak & Paweł Król & Artur Sochacki & Katarzyna Sygit & Marian Sygit, 2021. "Physical Activity and Quality of Life of University Students, Their Parents, and Grandparents in Poland—Selected Determinants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-15, April.
    9. Yanhui Mao & Rui Yang & Marino Bonaiuto & Jianhong Ma & László Harmat, 2020. "Can Flow Alleviate Anxiety? The Roles of Academic Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem in Building Psychological Sustainability and Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Chuanyu Peng & Guoping Yuan & Yanhui Mao & Xin Wang & Jianhong Ma & Marino Bonaiuto, 2020. "Expanding Social, Psychological, and Physical Indicators of Urbanites’ Life Satisfaction toward Residential Community: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-23, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3243-:d:767769. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.