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. 2014;46(1):106-124.
doi: 10.1080/00222216.2014.11950315.

Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect? An examination using eight-day diary data

Xinyi Lisa Qian  1 , Careen M Yarnal  2 , David M Almeida  3
Affiliations

Does leisure time moderate or mediate the effect of daily stress on positive affect? An examination using eight-day diary data

Xinyi Lisa Qian et al. J Leis Res. 2014.

Abstract

This study tested the applicability of moderation and mediation models to leisure time as a stress coping resource. Analyzing eight-day diary data (N=2,022), we examined the within-person process of using leisure time to cope with daily stressors. We found that relatively high daily stress frequency, while reducing positive affect, prompted an individual to allocate more time to leisure than usual, which then increased positive affect, thus partially remedying the damage by high daily stress frequency. This within-person process, however, is significantly stronger among those with less leisure time on average than leisure-rich individuals. The findings support a partial counteractive mediation model, demonstrate between-person difference in the within-person coping process, and reveal the importance of positive affect as a coping outcome.

Keywords: daily stress; leisure time; mediation; moderation; positive affect.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
An illustration of the moderation model.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
An illustration of the mediation model. According to Preacher and Kelley (2011), the indirect effect of the independent variable on the outcome is defined as the product of a and b (a×b).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Research Questions presented in model format: hypothesized moderation model (upper panel) and hypothesized mediation model (lower panel) *Research question 1 **Research question 2
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Partial counteractive mediation effect moderated by average amount of leisure time, a between-person factor. Note: All coefficients are unstandardized. *p<0.05, **p<0.0001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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