The Effectiveness of Leisure Time on Happiness, Self-Efficacy and Mental Health in Secondary School Students in Baghmalek City in the Year 2017-2018

The main purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of leisure time usefulness on happiness, self-efficacy and mental health of secondary school students in Baghmalek city. The present study is a quasi-experimental one. The statistical population of this study included all high school male students in Baghmalek city in the academic year 2017-18 with 1456 students. The sample size of the study consisted of 60 students (30 experimental and 30 control group) from fourth grade high school students in Baghmalek city who were selected by cluster random sampling. In the experimental group, in addition to the normal school activities, one to two sessions per week, which usually lasted one half-day each week, were performed by the students' favorite activities, followed by 50 days of post-test in both groups. The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Scherrer Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GHQ) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used in this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 23 and Levin, Glomogorov-Smirnov and covariance tests. The results showed that the effect of leisure time on happiness (f = 13.93), P = 0.001 and leisure time accounted for 52% of happiness changes. The effect of leisure time on self-efficacy (f = 17.64) was P = 0.001 and the effect of leisure time on mental health (f = 25.78) was P = 0.001. The effect of leisure time on physical problems, anxiety, social dysfunction and depression was significant at P <0.05.