The Effect of Serious Leisure Participation on Quality of Life: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Self-Determination

Examined in this study is the effect of leisure activities in which individuals participate seriously on quality of life, along with the mediating role of self-efficacy and self-determination variables in this relationship. This research utilized data obtained from 429 individuals residing in Eskişehir and playing basketball at an amateur level. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and Process Macro 4.2 programs. The findings show that serious leisure participation has both direct and indirect effects on quality of life through self-efficacy and self-determination. Serious leisure participation significantly increases self-efficacy (β = 0.68) and self-determination (β = 0.57), and these two variables play a strong mediating role by predicting quality of life at β = 0.11 and β = 0.89, respectively. The model explains 79% of the quality of life variable. In particular, the mediating effect of the self-determination variable was found to be stronger than that of self-efficacy. These results reveal that individuals' participation in voluntary, meaningful, and continuous leisure activities makes significant contributions to quality of life by strengthening psychological resources. In this context, it is recommended that serious leisure time activities should be evaluated as a strategic tool in social policy practices and psychological empowerment programs. Additionally, integrating serious leisure into community-based well-being programs may further support individuals’ psychological resilience and overall life quality.