Associations among workaholism, leisure attitude, and work–life balance among academics working in faculties of sport sciences

Introduction: Academic work in faculties of sport sciences has increasingly been shaped by high performance demands and blurred boundaries between work and personal life. Within this context, workaholism and leisure attitude have become relevant for understanding perceived balance across these domains. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationships among workaholism, leisure attitude, and perceived work-life balance among academics employed in faculties of sport sciences. It also tested whether leisure atti-tude played a mediating role in this relationship. Methodology: A correlational design was used. Data were collected in March 2025 from 353 academics working at different universities through an online questionnaire. The study variables were measured using validated scales, and the data were analyzed through correlation analysis and mediation analysis based on resampling procedures. Results: Higher workaholism was associated with lower perceived work-life balance, whereas a more positive leisure attitude was associated with higher perceived work-life balance. Workaholism remained a significant negative predictor of balance, and leisure attitude was a significant positive predictor. However, the indirect effect was not statistically significant. Discussion: These findings were consistent with literature indicating that maladaptive overwork is associated with less favorable work-life balance outcomes, whereas positive leisure-related orientations are associated with more favorable well-being perceptions. Conclusions: The findings suggest that workaholism is negatively associated with perceived work-life balance and that leisure attitude is positively associated with this balance, although it does not appear to function as a mediating mechanism in this relationship.