The Effect of Recreational Activities on Perceived Stress and Happiness

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of recreational activity practices applied for eight weeks on perceived stress and happiness. The model of the research was structured by the pretest-posttest control group model, one of the semi-experimental study designs. The study group of the research consisted of 56 sedentary women volunteers residing in Sakarya province in 2021-2022. The Perceived Stress Scale developed by Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein (1983) and adapted into Turkish by Eskin et al. (2013), and the Perceived Stress Scale developed by Hills and Argyle (2002) and adapted into Turkish by Doğan and Akıncı Çötok (2011) were used as measurement tools. The research results showed that the body mass index of sedentary women who performed regular recreational activities for eight weeks decreased by 6.74%. Moreover, it was determined that the perceived stress level decreased by 21.96% and happiness level increased by 18.01% in the related sample group. Considering the results obtained, it should be aimed to expand the audience addressed by increasing the diversity of sportive recreation activities and studies should be performed to include activities that women can participate in with their children.