Do We Care about Preschool Children's Leisure Time? Correlations between Anxiety Symptoms and Leisure Time Allocation. Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

Children's leisure time in the Western world is changing compared to what it used to be in the previous decades. Children's involvement in organized activities and screen time use is increasing, while outdoor play, despite once being the main leisure time activity for children, is declining. Gray, Oliver and other contemporary theorists link this shift in children's lifestyles to an increase in the prevalence of anxiety disorders. This study aimed to determine whether allocating preschool children's leisure time (screen time use, organized physical activities with an adult coach and organized non-athletic activities with an adult trainer, outdoor play) is associated with differences in anxiety symptoms. Parents responded to the Greek version of the revised Preschool Anxiety Scale and provided data on allocating their children's leisure time. Data was collected from the parents of 143 preschool children (mean age 4.8 years). The allocation of children's leisure time activities was correlated with children's anxiety symptoms (Spearman correlation coefficient), while the correlations were tested using multivariable linear regression models (p < 0.05). It was found that children's increased screen time use and decreased participation in organized non-athletic activities with a trainer were associated with the manifestation of symptoms of anxiety. In contrast, no correlation was found between the time spent in organized physical activities with a coach and the time spent in outdoor play with manifestations of anxiety. In conclusion, action is required to facilitate children's access to proper activities and further work is necessary to determine the safe screen use for preschool children.