Work and Leisure

Leisure and health 195social scientists who have studied general coping processes (Lazarus 1995),and suggest that the conditions that determine whether leisure-copingresources will act to buffer, counteract or reduce stress need to be furtherclarified (Iwasaki 2002).It might also be useful to distinguish between leisure-coping beliefs andleisure-coping strategies (Iwasaki & Mannell 2000b). As we have seen, leisurecopingbeliefs refer to people’s relatively enduring generalized beliefs thattheir leisure helps them cope with stress in a variety of ways. It seems likelythat these beliefs develop gradually over time as part of the socializationprocess and are maintained through relevant and positive leisure experiences.Leisure-coping strategies, however, can be conceptualized as actual leisurebehaviours and experiences that may help people cope with or resist stressfulcircumstances. In some cases, people may intentionally choose specific leisurebehaviours or experiences to help them cope with stress. At other times, theymay find that what they do in their leisure has helped them manage stresseven though they chose to participate for other reasons. Leisure-coping strategies,then, are more situation-specific and intentional than leisure-copingbeliefs, and their use and effectiveness are assumed to vary depending on thespecific stressors encountered by the individual. Although there are likelylinks between people’s belief-based coping resources and the situationspecificcoping strategies they use, research on general coping processes hasshown that the two types of coping resources are not identical and likely donot operate in the same manner (Endler & Parker 1994).Using leisure activities and experiences for temporary escape, companionshipand mood enhancement appear to be common leisure-coping strategies(Iwasaki & Mannell 2000b). For example, stressful work responsibilities mayencourage workers to engage in escape-oriented coping behaviour (palliativecoping) in order to temporarily forget about the demands and conflicts theyhave encountered earlier in the day at work. Becoming engrossed in a favoritemusic CD or playing a game of squash may allow the individual to take abreak from his problems and psychologically ‘regroup’ to gain renewed perspective.Sharpe and Mannell (cited in Mannell & Kleiber 1997) found thatrecently widowed women who were more active in their leisure experiencedless guilt, depression and sadness, and greater happiness during their dailylives. These women reported consciously trying to keep busy with leisureactivities to temporarily escape or distract themselves from intrusive thoughtsabout their deceased spouses and the resulting emotional distress. A comparisongroup of non-stressed married women were much more likely toengage in leisure for enjoyment and personal development than for temporaryescape. In another study, emergency response workers (e.g. police, paramedics)who used some of their leisure for mood enhancement and palliativecoping were found to be coping with job-related stress more effectively, evenafter the influence of general non-leisure coping strategies was accounted for(Iwasaki et al. 2001).