The relationship between leisure participation and mental health among respondents in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between leisure participation and perceived mental health benefits among respondents in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The research gap was identified by the fact that mental health has not received as much attention in research as physical well-being. Using quantitative methods, a questionnaire was employed to collect data from 247 respondents during four leisure activities; namely, beachfront relaxation, a horse racing event, a church event, and a community football match. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25 software. The results of the factor analysis revealed six key dimensions of perceived mental health benefits among the respondents; namely, goal orientation, positive emotion, overcoming negative emotions, fostering relationships, and peace of mind. The main finding of this study is that respondents attribute the most benefit from leisure activities to positive emotions (happiness, peace, joy, and excitement). Further exploration of the effect sizes was done to ascertain possible differences between categories on age and respondent activity. The results revealed no significant statistical differences between the groups (p=0.30). The primary conclusion from this study is that the mental health benefits of leisure participation cut across demographic variables. Implications of this study are discussed in the context of individuals, the tourism industry, and government policy.