The effects of leisure life satisfaction on subjective wellbeing under the covid-19 pandemic: The mediating role of stress relief

Abstract

Under the continuous spread of COVID-19 infection, individuals are finding their own ways to manage their stress and subjective wellbeing. The main objective of this research is to test the role of leisure life satisfaction on one’s subjective wellbeing in the era of COVID-19 as mediated by stress relief. Individuals’ satisfaction with leisure life is hypothesized to both directly and indi-rectly affect their subjective wellbeing as mediated by relieved stress. The positive impact of stress relief on one’s subjective wellbeing is hypothesized to be moderated by the perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from a large-scale social survey in South Korea (N = 40,085) were used to test the hypotheses and the results confirmed them. Theoretical and managerial implications that stress the importance of the strategic management of one’s leisure life are discussed.