Leisure involvement, social inclusion, and happiness in Türkiye: a mediational analysis

This study examined the association between leisure involvement (LI) and social inclusion (SI) among Chinese older adults, with particular attention to the mediating roles of flow experience (FE) and fear of missing out (FoMO). Data were collected from 432 older adults aged 55 years and above through community-based surveys in Zhejiang Province, China, supplemented by online questionnaires. Validated scales were used to measure LI, FE, FoMO, and SI. Mediation analyses were conducted using the SPSS PROCESS macro with bias-corrected bootstrap procedures. LI was positively associated with SI. FE showed a significant positive indirect effect, whereas FoMO showed a significant negative indirect effect. These findings suggest that leisure involvement may promote social inclusion through differentiated emotional pathways, characterized by enhanced positive experiential states and reduced socially driven anxiety. The results highlight the potential value of community-based leisure programs in promoting emotional well-being and strengthening social participation among older adults.

The present research (N = 169) examined the relationship between narcissism and anger responses considering the moderating role of social exclusion and the mediating role of hostile attribution bias. For this, social exclusion scenario and inclusion scenarios were utilized, and a total 183 participants were recruited from the UK using the online platform Qualtrics. Fourteen responders were excluded for failing the attention check question and the remaining 169 participants were randomly assigned to either the social inclusion condition (n = 87) or the social exclusion condition (n = 82). The results demonstrated that participants with high narcissism reported a greater level of anger when socially excluded, yet not when they were socially accepted. Furthermore, we observed indirect (mediation) effects in which greater levels of anger were affected by higher narcissism via higher levels of hostile attribution bias in both social exclusion and inclusion conditions, but the indirect effect was stronger in the condition of social exclusion than in the condition of social inclusion. Thus, the strong direct and indirect relationship between narcissism and anger can be found in the social exclusion condition, while the weaker but significant indirect relationship between narcissism and anger via hostile attribution can be also observed in the social inclusion condition. We discuss the implications of these findings and future research directions.

The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between social appearance anxiety and happiness among female university students and to investigate the moderating role of digital dementia in these associations. The study sample consisted of 370 female university students aged 18 years and older. Data were collected using the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8), the Digital Dementia Scale – Adult Form, and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire–Short Form. The data were obtained through an online survey administered via Google Forms. The proposed moderated mediation model was tested using the PROCESS macro (Model 59) with bootstrapping procedures. Social appearance anxiety and digital dementia were positively associated with loneliness, while social appearance anxiety, loneliness, and digital dementia were negatively associated with happiness. Digital dementia moderated the relationship between social appearance anxiety and loneliness such that this association was strongest at low levels of digital dementia and gradually weakened as digital dementia increased. Similarly, digital dementia moderated the relationship between social appearance anxiety and happiness, with the negative association weakening and becoming non-significant at high levels of digital dementia. However, digital dementia did not moderate the relationship between loneliness and happiness, nor did it conditionally moderate the indirect effect of social appearance anxiety on happiness through loneliness. These findings indicate that social appearance anxiety is an important psychosocial factor associated with loneliness and happiness among female university students. Digital dementia appears to alter the strength of these associations by potentially reducing the relative contribution of appearance-related concerns as cognitive strain increases. The results suggest that interventions aimed at improving student well-being should address appearance-related anxiety, loneliness, and digital cognitive load simultaneously.

IntroductionThis study examined whether fatigue mediates the association between sleep debt and depressive symptoms among municipal employees in Japan.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted as part of the Night in Japan Home Sleep Monitoring Study (NinJaSleep Study) between November 2023 and March 2024 among 1,435 municipal employees in Koka City, Japan. Sleep debt was quantified using the Sleep Debt Index, calculated from self-reported ideal and actual sleep duration. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and fatigue was assessed using the Chalder Fatigue Scale. Mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro (Model 4), adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and occupation. Indirect effects were estimated using bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples.ResultsSleep debt was significantly associated with higher fatigue scores (B = 2.37, p < 0.001), and fatigue was positively associated with depressive symptoms (B = 0.32, p < 0.001). The direct association between sleep debt and depressive symptoms was not statistically significant (B = 0.07, p = 0.36). Mediation analysis indicated that the association between sleep debt and depressive symptoms was significantly mediated by fatigue (indirect effect: B = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61–0.91).DiscussionSleep debt is associated with depressive symptoms primarily through increased fatigue. These findings highlight fatigue as a key pathway in linking insufficient sleep to mental health outcomes and underscore the importance of addressing fatigue in workplace mental health strategies.

The purpose of this study was to examine how leisure involvement changes with the transition to widowhood and to determine if change in leisure involvement during this time has an impact on widows' physical and mental health. Adults age 50 and older who had transitioned into widowhood between Waves 1 and 2 or Waves 2 and 3 of the Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) dataset (N = 154) were included in the study. Results indicated that during this time widows experienced changes in their leisure repertoire (the types of leisure activities in which they participate), and the frequency of their leisure involvement. These changes in leisure behavior were associated with functional impairment, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction, as well as their ability to cope with the loss of their spouse. Findings were interpreted in terms of effective strategies that appear to be employed by widows in utilizing leisure activities following loss of a spouse.

BackgroundWith the increase in the elderly population all over the world, researchers have recently focused on the importance of happiness and successful aging.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effect of leisure involvement on happiness and successful aging levels in the elderly.MethodThe personal information form, the leisure involvement scale, the Oxford happiness scale, and the successful aging scale were used in this study. The convenience sampling method was preferred in the current study. The data of the study were collected from individuals who performed leisure activities in recreational parks in Istanbul. The Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used for the analysis of obtained data. A total of 227 (MAge = 64.32 ± 2.74) elderly participated in the study voluntarily.ResultsThere was a positive relationship between leisure involvement with happiness (r = .381) and healthy aging (r = .311). Moreover, when the results regarding the main hypothesis of the research were examined, it was observed that leisure involvement had a positive effect on happiness and successful aging (p < .001). Accordingly, it was determined that the participants' leisure involvements predicted their happiness and successful aging levels by 14% (adj.R2 = .141) and 9% (adj.R2 = .093), respectively.ConclusionElderly over the age of sixty with high levels of leisure involvement may feel better as physically and psychologically, they can become happier humans and achieve more successful aging.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to construct and test an antecedent relationship path model for the leisure involvement of Taiwan expatriate managers working in Mainland China. A leisure temporal-spatial involvement (LTSI) was developed.Design/methodology/approachBurnout, perceived freedom in leisure and leisure coping strategies were proposed in the conceptual model as antecedents of leisure involvement. A questionnaire survey gathered information on the characteristics of respondents, including demographic/socio-economic details, expatriate profile and leisure activity participation. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used in this research to measure the relationships among the four scale variables (job burnout, perceived freedom in leisure, leisure coping strategies and leisure involvement).FindingsThe expatriate managers experienced high burnout levels, particularly in the form of exhaustion. Their leisure involvement was mainly influenced by perceived freedom in leisure.Research limitations/implicationsThis work contributes to the research on leisure and expatriation in several ways. It is one of the first empirical studies to examine prominent leisure concepts (freedom, coping and involvement) within the milieu of expatriation. The findings provide further support to the notion of the “presumed cultural similarity paradox,” in that expatriates of Chinese ethnicity still had significant adjustment difficulties in Mainland China. The research again confirms the challenges of Mainland China as an expatriation destination.Practical implicationsThe research results have significant practical value and may assist Taiwan-capital enterprises in improving expatriates’ leisure life management. The section on Managerial and policy implications outlines the implications for the actors involved.Social implicationsThis work has social implications since the Taiwan expatriate managers are not effectively adjusting to their work–life environments in Guangzhou. Greater social contact between locals and these managers is recommended in the future.Originality/valueA new scale for leisure involvement (LTSI), expressed in temporal and spatial dimensions, is developed to fit the particular situations faced by expatriates. This is also one of only a few empirical research studies to consider leisure involvement within an expatriation framework.

Restrained eating, a dietary pattern with potential health risks, is prevalent among college students. Although physical exercise is associated with restrained eating, the underlying psychological mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined the relationship between physical exercise and restrained eating among Chinese university students, focusing on the chain mediating roles of emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived stress. Participants were 1,640 college students (58.5% male; mean age 19.29 ± 1.16 years) from eight provinces in China. They completed measures of physical exercise [Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3)], restrained eating [Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ)], emotional intelligence [Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS)], and perceived stress [Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)]. Mediation analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 with the PROCESS macro (Model 6) and 5,000 bootstrap samples. Physical exercise was negatively correlated with restrained eating (r = -0.369, p < 0.001). Regression analyses showed that physical exercise (β = -0.406, p < 0.001) and emotional intelligence (β = -0.337, p < 0.001) negatively predicted restrained eating, while perceived stress positively predicted it (β = 0.332, p < 0.001). Mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects through emotional intelligence (indirect effect = -0.023, 95% CI [-0.030, -0.017]), perceived stress (indirect effect = -0.019, 95% CI [-0.025, -0.013]), and the sequential pathway through both mediators (indirect effect = -0.002, 95% CI [-0.004, -0.001]). The total indirect effect (-0.044) accounted for 35.8% of the total effect (-0.123). Physical exercise is negatively associated with restrained eating among Chinese college students, with emotional intelligence and perceived stress serving as independent and sequential mediators. These findings highlight the importance of integrating emotional competence and stress management into physical activity interventions to promote healthy eating behaviors in university populations.

Background: In an era where digital connectivity dominates daily life, social media has become an integral component of communication and identity formation, particularly among young adults. However, excessive engagement is increasingly associated with adverse psychological outcomes, including emotional instability. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) has emerged as a central mechanism linking social media involvement with emotional disturbances, highlighting the need to explore its mediating role in this relationship. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationships among social media use, FOMO, and emotional dysregulation in young adults, and to examine whether FOMO mediates the link between social media use and emotional dysregulation while accounting for demographic factors. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional design was applied among 322 young adults aged 18–25 years (44.7% males, 55.3% females). Participants completed standardized instruments: the Social Media Use Scale (SMUS; α = .922), the Fear of Missing Out Scale (FOMOS; α = .826), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale—Short Form (DERS-16; α = .920). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, simple linear regression, hierarchical multiple regression, and mediation analysis through Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrapped samples. Results: Social media usage significantly predicted emotional dysregulation (B = 0.29, SE = 0.03, β = .51, p &lt; .001), explaining 26% of its variance. FOMO was positively correlated with both social media use (r = .52, p &lt; .001) and emotional dysregulation (r = .58, p &lt; .001) and partially mediated their relationship (indirect effect B = 0.13, 95% CI [0.09, 0.18]). Age showed a weak negative effect (B = −0.043, p = .040), whereas gender, education, and socioeconomic status were non-significant predictors. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that FOMO significantly mediates the association between social media use and emotional dysregulation among young adults, emphasizing that psychological mechanisms outweigh demographic predictors. These results suggest that interventions promoting emotional regulation and mindful social media use could mitigate digital-era emotional vulnerabilities.

BackgroundCognitive and physical function both typically decline with age. Kyphosis is backward curvature of the spine that is especially commonly seen in older adults. This study seeks to clarify the suspected relationship between kyphosis posture and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 301 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 60 years in Japan. The kyphosis index (KI) was determined according to a previously-reported method, cognitive function was evaluated using ACE-III, and physical functions were measured by handgrip strength, gait speed, and 2-step test. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to identify factors affecting the KI, and we used a simple mediation analysis to clarify factors mediating the relationship between the KI and cognitive function using PROCESS Macro- Model 4 for SPSS and bootstrap method. Indirect effects were tested using bootstrapped confidence intervals (CI).ResultsIn multiple linear regression analysis, gait speed (β = -0.188, p = 0.0007), 2-step value (β = －0.227, p < 0.0001) and language domain score (β = －0.136, p = 0.0160) were significantly associated with KI after adjustment for sex, age, education, body mass index and osteoporosis. Mediation analysis revealed a relationship between KI and language score; gait speed (indirect effect: −0.019, 95% CI: −0.039 to − 0.005) and 2-step value (indirect effect: −0.026, 95% CI: −0.051 to − 0.007) in complete mediation and grip strength (indirect effect: −0.014, 95% CI: −0.036 to − 0.001) in partial mediation.ConclusionsThis study highlights worsening of kyphosis results to be related to decline in language ability by physical function.Trial registrationNot applicable.

The prominence of participating in outdoor leisure activities has gained significance in individuals’ lives as a result of the rapid growth of the economy and the rise in available leisure time. The present study employed structural equation modeling to examine the relationships among leisure involvement, the three distinct dimensions of leisure benefits (physiological benefits, psychological benefits, and social benefits), and subjective well-being of bicycle riders. Moreover, the moderating effect of age was also investigated. A field survey was undertaken within an urban forest park, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China, in order to gather data, resulting in the collection of 512 questionnaires that were deemed usable. The results suggest that leisure involvement has a significant and positive impact on bicycle riders’ physiological, psychological, and social benefits, as well as their overall subjective well-being. The subjective well-being of individuals is positively influenced by the physiological, psychological, and social benefits. Additionally, the results of the analysis on the moderating effects suggest that age significantly moderates the relationships between leisure involvement and leisure benefits. The present study also addresses the theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and potential avenues for future research.

In the digital era of transformation, surveillance technologies have reformed the texture of modern societies and initiated serious questions around privacy and trust in institution and modern societies. This research explores the complex linkages among digital surveillance, concerns for privacy, regulatory environment, and institutional public trust using the mediation-moderation framework. Based on the Communication Privacy Management (CPM) Theory, the research conceptualizes how individuals judge and navigate intimate information while perpetually facing digital surveillance. Utilizing a quantitative research approach, data were collected from 220 Pakistani and Chinese university students through structured online questionnaires developed by using validated Measurement Scales. The Correlation result indicates that these is negative impact of Digital Surveillance on the Trust in modern Societies. Mediation analysis using PROCESS Macro (Model 4) also supported that digital surveillance has a strong negative effect on public trust (β = –0.33, p = .001), with privacy concern as a significant mediator (indirect effect = –0.21, 95% CI [–0.31, –0.12]). In addition, analysis of moderation established that regulatory framework act as buffers to this impact since the interaction term was found to be significant (β = 0.18, p =.003), showing weaker regulatory environments weaken trust eroded by surveillance. The findings accentuate that concerns about privacy sharpen distrust in environments with heavy surveillance, but adequate regulatory frameworks block this effect. This work makes theoretical contributions by applying CPM Theory in institutional settings and provides policy suggestions for policymakers and digital platform engineers. It stresses the need for open, transparent data governance in order to revive and maintain confidence in the era of the internet.

The Other Battle of Algiers

China’s resource-based cities have made tremendous contributions to national and local economic growth and urban development over the last seven decades. Recently, such cities have been in transition from resource-centered development towards human-oriented urbanization to meet the requirements of long-term sustainability for the natural environment and human society. A good understanding of urban expansion and evolution as a consequence of urbanization has important implications for future urban and regional planning. Using a series of remote sensing (RS) images and geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial analyses, this research explores how a typical resource-based mining city, Datong, has expanded and evolved over the last two decades (2000–2018), with a reflection on the role of urban planning and development policies in driving the spatial transformation of Datong. The RS images were provided and processed by the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Spatial cluster analysis approaches were employed to examine the spatial patterns of urban expansion. The results indicate that the area of urban construction land increased by 132.6% during the study period, mainly along with the Chengqu District, the Mining Area, and in the southeast of the Nanjiao District, where most new towns are located. Reflection on the factors that influence urban expansion shows that terrain, urban planning policies, and social economy are driving Datong’s urban development.

This paper is based on the premise that the principal purpose of science and technological development should be the well-being of society in harmony with environmental sustainability. Vaclav Smil [1] argues “commonly used measures of energy use – be it conversion efficiencies, energy costs, per capita utilization levels, growth rates, consumption elasticity, or output rations – are just helpful indicators of the performance and dynamics of processes whose aim should not be merely to secure basic existential needs or to satisfy assorted consumerist urges but also to enrich intellectual lives and to make us more successful as a social and caring species.” Energy and electricity access and use is valuable not in itself, but for what it enables women and men “to do or achieve” [2]. Grubler studied the history of past energy transitions and identifies ‘grand patterns’, one of which being the critical importance of end-use — consumers and demand – “with technology and the social settings co-evolving, depending on each other” [3]. Feminist studies in science and technology treat technology as a ‘socio-technical’ product and describe the relationship between gender and technology as one of mutual shaping [4]. Gender and development studies put forward the concept of ‘gender mainstreaming’ which has been applied to infrastructure programs, such as energy, transport and digital infrastructure, based on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) approaches. The paper draws from these frameworks. Norbert Wiener considered the resilience of urban centres in preparation for a potential nuclear attack and outlined what he considered to be some key features of urban plans. In the first draft of his urban plan, titled “Civilian Defense Plan”, his central argument is that the atomic bomb has rendered our previous understanding of civil defense obsolete and that “we need to reorganize our cities where they stand” – markets, points for medical supplies, hospitals, transportation, etc [5]. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the inter-relatedness and inter-connections between physical infrastructure, key utilities and services, and economic, health and social outcomes. There is an urgent need to rethink and transform cities to respond to the reality of Covid-19 and potential future pandemics, and to recover better, by building more resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities. International experiences show that cities with similar densities and levels of economic development have fared very differently in their ability to contain Covid-19. This indicates that the strength and duration of impacts of Covid-19 are not solely determined by a city's population density, but also by local capacity and preparedness to deal with such crises, infrastructure and service delivery systems, citizen's trust and confidence in society's institutions and the level of functional responsibilities and resources available to them through decentralized systems. Some of the key lessons for recovery and ‘building back better’ include the importance of an effective health system response, urban and regional planning, physical distancing, city-wide slum upgrading and housing programs, land-use and regulations to regulate hygiene conditions, significantly scaling up the low-carbon energy and infrastructure transition, access to key utilities and services for poor and vulnerable groups such as women, slum and transient populations, people with disabilities and the elderly, social protection, rethinking business supply chains, more resilient and inclusive ICT and digital connectivity and a pressing need to address gender inequality and social exclusion in relation to vulnerabilities. These new challenges require a new approach that integrates governance, physical environment and infrastructure, social environment, economic environment, planning and resourcing for resilience, and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). The objective of the study was to develop an integrated approach to strengthening urban resilience based on infrastructure, energy and health linkages, with a focus on GESI impacts. Drawing from lessons learned from various connected fields: climate-related disaster programs to designing infrastructure; power and energy systems to incorporate resilience and reliability; universal health coverage and health system strengthening; and the preliminary lessons drawn from the activities undertaken to control the Covid-19 pandemic, a Resilience Assessment Framework has been proposed. The framework is intended to be used to assess the current resilience maturity level of a city. It can also be applied to measure progress, at different time intervals, towards a prospective target maturity level.