ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the subgroups of leisure activity participation among adolescents in South Korea and to examine the characteristics of each subgroup. In addition, this study is aimed at investigating the differences in the subjective well-being and happiness of adolescents according to each latent class and thereby provide basic evidence for improving the quality of life of adolescents. Methods: To examine the types of leisure participation among adolescents, 9,041 data on a student panel from the 9th annual ‘Korean Children and adolescent Panel Survey (KCYPS)’ were used in this study. Using these data, a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was conducted. In addition, to analyze the characteristics of each type of leisure participation, a derived chi-square test and ANOVA were used, and when a significant difference was demonstrated, Scheffe's method was applied to determine the difference between groups. Results: As the results indicate, the leisure participation types among adolescents were identified as having five latent classes: passive participation, socializing, passive leisure participation, art and music participation, and active participation types. Moreover, as the analysis results of the difference in happiness and subjective well-being according to leisure participation types indicate, there was a statistically significant difference in happiness based on the latent class. Conclusion: This study identified the existence of five leisure participant types in adolescents. In addition, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference in an individual's happiness and subjective well-being according to the participation pattern of their leisure activities. Therefore, it is expected that this study can be used as basic evidence for developing interventions and services related to adolescent leisure activities, thereby improving the mental health and quality of life of adolescents.