Perceived freedom in leisure for a special group in the community

Abstract

This study examines perceived freedom and barriers to leisure, focusing on 50 schizophrenics who were being maintained in the community and causing operational problems for a voluntary telephone counselling service. First it addresses central concepts, adopts and standardises an American questionnaire with a group of 200 New Zealand students and applies it to assess the leisure functioning of the target group. The results showed that the schizophrenics had a lower level of leisure functioning, and they perceived less freedom and more barriers to leisure than did the students. The study offers useful clues for those who might be concerned about meeting leisure needs, and in particular shows that a useful assessment tool is available for those involved with the planning of remedial recreation services for various community groups.