Finding joy in poor health: The leisure-scapes of chronic illness

Abstract

Globally, increasing numbers of people face the challenge of enjoying life while living with long-term illness. Little research addresses leisure participation for people with chronic illness despite its links with mental and physical health and self-rated quality of life. I use a space-time geographical approach to explore experiences with leisure in everyday life for 26 individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Australia. I examine ways in which the spatial and temporal characteristics of illness management and symptoms shape where, when, and how participants can enjoy leisure, focusing on: 1) logistical conflicts between illness and leisure; 2) rhythmic interferences with the force of habit in skilful leisure performance; and 3) absorbing experiences of encounter with self and place through leisure. Data were collected from 2013 to 2014. Participants kept diaries over two sample days and then participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings show that the voluntary nature of leisure offered participants important benefits in coping with and managing illness over the long-term, including opportunities to experience greater sense of control, an alternative experience of one’s body to the ‘sick body’, and knowledge creation that supports adaptation to the uncertainties of illness trajectories. The ability to engage in meaningful leisure was constrained by the shaping forces of illness symptoms and management on participants’ leisure-scapes. Illness treatment regimens should therefore be adapted to better accommodate leisure participation for chronically ill patients, and leisure should be explicitly incorporated into illness management plans negotiated between patients and health practitioners. Finally, greater understanding of the transformative capacity of habit in activities of experimentation and play may have wider-reaching implications for leisure’s potential applications in public health. Leisure should be taken seriously as a vehicle for enhancing wellbeing and adaptation to life with long-term illness.

Does Diversity of Social Ties Really Matter More for Health and Leisure Activity than Number of Social Ties? Evidence from Later Adulthood

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Access and Inclusion: The Experiences of Postsecondary Students with Mobility-Related Physical Disabilities

“…Leisure activities, defined as activities that bring meaning to an individual's life (Iwasaki, 2007), are critical for all students, Moritz et al, Access and Inclusion CJDS 11.2 (August 2022) and access to leisure activities within a post-secondary setting is important for individuals' health including their social, emotional, mental, and physical health given the links between leisure and health (McQuoid, 2017). Leisure activities support, for example, social connectedness, help to manage and reduce stress, and often involve physical activities which are important for mental and physical health (Jessup et al, 2010;McQuoid, 2017). There has been research on access to physical activity in postsecondary institutions for students with disabilities (Devine, 2016), but access to a variety of leisure activities (e.g.…”

Views of Secondary Education Teachers in Cyprus, Regarding the Information They Receive for Pupils with Chronic Diseases in Their Classes

“…Many pupils and adolescents suffer from a chronic disease, which causes both difficulties in their daily lives and at school, leading to special physical and psychological needs; consequently, millions of pupils and their families are living under significant stress (Beachman & Deatrick, 2015;McQuoid, 2017;Bartchel et al, 2018). As far as school is concerned, pupils and adolescents with chronic diseases have problems such as frequent absences (Crump et al, 2013), school performance (Lum et al, 2017), and interpersonal relationships (Mackner et al, 2012), while age and puberty seem to be significant factors when living with a chronic disease (Van Staa, 2012;Gorter, et al, 2014;Ferro, 2014).…”