Free time is considered to be a very important aspect of adolescents’ psychosocial development. One of the instruments that has been developed to explore motivation in relation to free time activities is Baldwin and Caldwell’s (2003) Free Time Motivation Scale for Adolescents (FTMS-A), based on Ryan and Deci (2000) Self-Determination Theory. The main aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the FTM S-A after its translation and adaptation to Catalan, administering it to a sample of 2,263 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 (M = 14.99; SD = 1.79) from Catalonia, Spain. To explore structural validity we follow two steps: Firstly, we analyze how the scale fits with the original model by conducting a CFA on the whole sample; secondly, we conduct an EFA on one half of the sample and a CFA on the other half in order to identify which structure best suits the sample. We also analyze convergent validity using three indicators of subjective well-being: The Personal Well-Being Index (PWI), the Satisfaction with Life scale (SWLS) and the Overall Life Satisfaction scale (OLS). The initial CFA produces a 5-factor model like the original, but with goodness of fit indices that do not reach the acceptable minimum. The EFA and the second CFA show a good fit for a 3-dimensional model (χ2(90) = 320.293; RMSEA = .048; NNFI = .92; CFI = .94) comprising introjected motivation, intrinsic motivation and amotivation. The correlations obtained between the FTMS-A and the three measures of subjective well-being scales show an association between free time motivations and this construct. Due to the model of scale used in the present study differs from the original, it is proposed that the new scale structure with 16 items be tested in the future in different cultural contexts.

Though violence at school is by no means a new phenomenon, there has been growing social and scientific concern about this issue in recent years. The present study builds on prior analysis of the roles adolescents play in peer harassment, and the relationship between violence occurring at school and during free time. A representative sample of students between the ages of 14 and 18 was selected in the Community of Madrid (N = 1622) through random cluster sampling (school was the unit of analysis). Participants completed the C.E.V.E.O. questionnaire, which presents fifteen situations involving peer violence. The results reveal a relationship between violent situations occurring at school and during free time, and between the roles of aggressor and victim during free time. A profile analysis yielded three different categories: the “minimal violence exposure” type (1126 adolescents), the “psychological violence exposure” type (413 adolescents), and the “high risk of violence” type (83 adolescents). Judging from these results, we posit that interventions must be designed which tailor to each group and their respective risk situations.

This study compared the degree to which social networking sites and structured extracurricular activities provided adolescents with positive developmental experiences. Given the relatively unique nature of social networking sites as a leisure context for adolescents, and the extremely fast rate at which this leisure activity has been adopted by the majority of youth in countries where the technology is easily accessible, it is important that research explores how this leisure context compares to more traditional extracurricular activities. Adolescents from eight high schools across the state of Western Australia were surveyed. The results showed that traditional structured leisure activities (e.g., sport, art) provided adolescents with more experiences of identity exploration and reflection and positive peer interactions than social networking site use. Further analysis compared differences within social networking site use and found that both the frequency with which an adolescent visited their social networking site, and the degree of investment they had in their social networking site, positively predicted greater experiences of identity exploration and reflection and positive peer interactions. Though social networking sites are a popular adolescent leisure activity, they do not provide the same level of positive developmental experiences that are afforded through adolescent participation in traditional structured extracurricular activities.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, define and test a theoretical model which explains elderly people's use of urban shopping centres as places for social exchange. We suggest that elderly people use shopping centres to satisfy social and leisure are individual or predisposing variables and environmental or encouraging variables which differentiate elderly people who engage in this activity. Using a secondary data analysis of a probability sample of 300 non-institutionalized elderly people in Montreal, we found that mallingering is an activity that 67 per cent of this sample do in three shopping centres in this city. Predisposing variables such as age, gender, education and feelings of loneliness, along with encouraging variables such as design and ambiance of the centre are related to this activity. Based on these findings, we suggest that this model contributes to our understanding of the leisure activities of non-institutionalized elderly people.

Physical activity appears to improve health-related quality of life by enhancing psychological well being and by improving physical functioning, particularly in persons compromised by poor health. Health enhancing physical activity (HEPA) can in addition to, and instead of, structured and planned exercise and sports comprise other forms of physical activity, such as occupational activities, lifestyle activities and recreational activities. However, wide-range and long-term population strategies are needed for the promotion of physical activity in each of the categories of HEPA. It is necessary to create realistic opportunities for different population groups and individuals. The theoretical knowledge of the determinants of the target behaviour has to be translated to a practical form. On the basis of available empirical studies, the Predisposing, Enabling and Reinforcing factors in the PRECEDE –PROCEED model for health promotion, are all relevant and important for the adoption and maintenance of physical activity. In the end, promotional activities are needed where people live and work, i.e. at local level.