Exploring the roles of learned helplessness and negotiation strategies in linking travel constraints to seniors’ travel intention: a PLS-SEM and fsQCA approach

Addressing the paradox of high potential but low participation in senior tourism, this study integrates leisure constraint and learned helplessness theories to investigate the psychological mechanisms affecting seniors’ travel intention. Data from a two-wave survey of 366 Chinese seniors were analysed using PLS-SEM and fsQCA. PLS-SEM analysis indicated that intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints were positively associated with learned helplessness, and that learned helplessness mediated the negative relationship between these constraints and travel intention. Furthermore, behavioural negotiation strategies attenuated the positive association of interpersonal and structural constraints with learned helplessness, whereas cognitive strategies moderated the relationship of intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints to learned helplessness. The fsQCA results identified six configurational pathways leading to high travel intention, showing that the absence of constraints and the presence of negotiation strategies represent two distinct yet effective mechanisms. These findings offer actionable insights for promoting senior travel participation.