Family functioning and adolescent leisure patterns

The relationship between leisure and the family is one that has been studied by both family scholars and leisure scholars. However, due to definitional and methodological limitations of the research, the understanding of this relationship still remains unclear. Moreover, this relationship is extremely complex, making its examination difficult. However, the continuing advancement of the use of theory in both family studies and leisure studies gives rise to some interesting perspectives and directions for research.The research question that was addressed in this study was: What is the relationship between perceptions of family functioning and subjective experiences of leisure? Family functioning refers to the specific area of dysfunction within the family system and in this study refers specifically to family cohesion and family adaptability. The examination of leisure encompasses psychological dimensions of leisure (intrinsic motivation, pleasure, concentration and reduced distractibility, loss of focus on self, timelessness, absence of evaluation, creativity, control, and choice), and satisfaction.Subjects were selected based on their age and grade level in high school. Adolescents aged 15 to 17, in grades 10, 11, or 12, were selected for inclusion in this study. These individuals were selected as participants in this study because this age group typically lives within a family unit, and as such, are easily able to reflect upon the interactions within the family. They are also at an age where they have begun to differentiate from their families and develop their own leisure interests, partners, and involvements. A total of 1426 usable questionnaires were obtained for this study.There are two major conclusions which represent the contributions made by this study. The first conclusion is that there is a relationship between perceptions of family functioning and perceptions of leisure. The second conclusion is that there appears to be nine dimensions of leisure which can be successfully measured using the psychological dimensions of leisure instrument. These findings provide the groundwork for future research efforts.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio