Investigating the Relationships among Leisure, Coping, and Personal Growth among People with Physical Disabilities

Little information exists with regard to the relationship between leisure and coping mechanisms among people with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among leisure, coping, and personal growth among people with physical disabilities living in the U.S. Using a purposive sampling strategy, 121 participants completed all 3 instruments: assessment of leisure and recreation involvement, coping strategy indicator, and personal growth. Frequency, descriptive analysis, Pearson correlations, and path analysis were utilized to test the relationship between leisure involvement, coping strategies, and personal growth. There were statistically significant direct effects of leisure involvement and avoidance-withdrawal coping strategies on personal growth. The effects of social support seeking coping strategies and problem-solving coping strategies on personal growth were not statistically significant. Results also indicated that leisure involvement had significant direct effects on social support seeking, avoidance-withdrawal, and problem-solving coping strategies. The results demonstrated that leisure engagement was associated with coping strategies and personal growth. In particular, leisure engagement had direct effects on problem-solving coping, social seeking coping, and avoidance/withdrawal coping as well as a direct effect on personal growth.