Associations among workaholism, leisure attitude, and work–life balance among academics working in faculties of sport sciences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v79.117405Keywords:
Workaholism, Leisure Attitude, Work-Life Balance, Academics, Mediation AnalysisAbstract
Introduction: Academic work in faculties of sport sciences has increasingly been shaped by high performance demands and blurred boundaries between work and personal life. Within this context, workaholism and leisure attitude have become relevant for understanding perceived balance across these domains.
Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationships among workaholism, leisure attitude, and perceived work-life balance among academics employed in faculties of sport sciences. It also tested whether leisure atti-tude played a mediating role in this relationship.
Methodology: A correlational design was used. Data were collected in March 2025 from 353 academics working at different universities through an online questionnaire. The study variables were measured using validated scales, and the data were analyzed through correlation analysis and mediation analysis based on resampling procedures.
Results: Higher workaholism was associated with lower perceived work-life balance, whereas a more positive leisure attitude was associated with higher perceived work-life balance. Workaholism remained a significant negative predictor of balance, and leisure attitude was a significant positive predictor. However, the indirect effect was not statistically significant.
Discussion: These findings were consistent with literature indicating that maladaptive overwork is associated with less favorable work-life balance outcomes, whereas positive leisure-related orientations are associated with more favorable well-being perceptions.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that workaholism is negatively associated with perceived work-life balance and that leisure attitude is positively associated with this balance, although it does not appear to function as a mediating mechanism in this relationship.
References
Agha, K., Azmi, F. T., & Khan, S. A. (2017). Work-life balance: Scale development and validation. In M. Las Heras Maestro, N. Chinchilla, & M. Grau (Eds.), The work-family balance in light of globalization and technology (pp. 109–130). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Aguirre-Cardona, L. A., Aldana-Villalobos, K., & Rubio-Florido, I. (2024). Ocio, trabajo y estudio en estudiantes universitarios, un acercamiento desde una perspectiva colombiana [Leisure, work, and study among university students: An approach from a Colombian perspective]. Retos, 53, 563–570. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v53.102233
Airagnes, G., Wacogne, C., Legleye, S., Gaborit, S., Lemogne, C., & Limosin, F. (2024). Burnout mediates the association between workaholism and substance use: Findings from a French national company. Journal of Prevention, 45(3), 325–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-024-00770-6
Akçakese, A., Tükel, Y., & Demirel, M. (2024). The work-life balance: Understanding the role of leisure involvement on workaholism from a gender perspective. Work, 79(2), 911–924. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-240012
Allam, H. K., Helmy, M. S., El Badry, A. S., & Younis, F. E. (2021). Workaholism, sleep disorders, and potential e-learning impacts among Menoufia University staff during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Public Health Research, 10(4), 2203. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2203
Allen, T. D., French, K. A., Dumani, S., & Shockley, K. M. (2020). A cross-national meta-analytic examination of predictors and outcomes associated with work–family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(6), 539–576. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000442
Andersen, L. L., Christensen, K. B., Hogh, A., Malinowska, D., Borritz, M., & Turczyńska, E. (2023). The prevalence of workaholism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of self-reported data. PLOS ONE, 18(6), e0287889. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287889
Atroszko, P. A., Demetrovics, Z., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). Work addiction, obsessive–compulsive personality disorder, burnout, and global burden of disease: Implications from the ICD-11. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2), 660. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020660
Aziz, S., Meier, B., Wuensch, K., & Dolbier, C. (2023). Take a break! Leisure participation moderates the workaholism-work stress relationship. The Career Development Quarterly, 71(4), 315–329. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12336
Balibrea Melero, K., & Santos Ortega, A. (2023). Deporte y conciliación en mujeres deportistas de edad adulta: El caso del Valencia Hockey Mamis [Sports and work-life balance among adult sportswomen: The case of Valencia’s Hockey Mamis]. Retos, 49, 878–884. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v49.98501
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. I. (2014). Burnout and work engagement: The JD–R approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 389–411. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091235
Brito, O. E. G., Vacacela, A. S. R., Sanunga, H. G. P., & Chávez, R. H. H. (2025). Educational projects for tourism as a leisure scenery, recreation and communicative competences in English: Linguistics strengthening in students for their professional development. Retos, 73, 1462–1475. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v73.117887
Caldwell, L. L. (2005). Leisure and health: Why is leisure therapeutic? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 33(1), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069880412331335939
Clark, M. A., Michel, J. S., Zhdanova, L., Pui, S. Y., & Baltes, B. B. (2016). All work and no play? A meta-analytic examination of the correlates and outcomes of workaholism. Journal of Management, 42(7), 1836–1873. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314522301
Doğan, T., & Tel, F. D. (2011). DUWAS İşkoliklik Ölçeği Türkçe formunun (DUWAS-TR) geçerlik ve güvenirliğinin incelenmesi. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 11(1), 61–69.
Dokuzoğlu, G., Sağıroğlu, İ., & Çevik, A. (2023). Investigation of the relationship between the levels of leisure time satisfaction and passion in sports who exercise individuals fitness. Journal of Sport Sciences Research, 8(3), 613–629. https://doi.org/10.25307/jssr.1320520
Elifneh, Y. W., Wonda, T. A., & Abbay, Y. A. (2025). Work-life balance among university academic leaders in a developing country context: Empirical evidence from Ethiopia. SAGE Open, 15(3), 21582440251366875. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251366875
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2011). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple study guide and reference (10th ed., 17.0 update). Pearson Education India.
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a lingua franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford University Press.
Johnston, K., Tanwar, J., Pasamar, S., Van Laar, D., & Bamber Jones, A. (2022). Blurring boundaries: Work-life balance and unbounded work in academia: The role of flexibility, organisational support and gender. Labour & Industry, 32(2), 139–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2022.2081902
Karasar, N. (2016). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi: Kavramlar, ilkeler, teknikler. Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
Kenyhercz, V., Mervó, B., Lehel, N., Demetrovics, Z., & Kun, B. (2024). Work addiction and social functioning: A systematic review and five meta-analyses. PLOS ONE, 19(6), e0303563. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303563
Marič, M., & Žnidaršič, J. (2018). The effect of gender, age and academic rank on work-life balance. Škola biznisa, 2018(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5937/skolbiz2-20983
Marthalina, M., Darlis, E., Hadi, F. P., & Syahra, F. R. (2025). Work-life balance woman working in the government sector. International Journal of Organizational Analysis. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2024-4372
Martínez-Agut, M. P. (2025). Investigación sobre animación turística, retos y sostenibilidad en la formación inicial de técnicos/as superiores en animación sociocultural y turística e inserción laboral. Retos, 73, 1660–1687. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v73.117498
Matsuyama, K., Nagata, T., Odagami, K., Nagata, M., Kajiki, S., Sakai, K., & Mori, K. (2024). Association between workaholism and headaches causing presenteeism: A cross-sectional study in Japan. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66(4), e328–e332. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000003130
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Oberhauser, A. M., Dixon, B., & Mossa, J. (2025). Complicating work–life balance in higher education: Perspectives from geography. The Professional Geographer. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2025.2510968
Ofluoğlu, G., & Aksoy Doğanel, G. (2022). Akademisyenlerin iş-yaşam dengesi üzerine bir araştırma. International Journal of Management and Administration, 6(11), 41–52. https://doi.org/10.29064/ijma.1037209
Orak, M. E., Üzüm, H., & Karlı, Ü. (2025). Investigation of the relationship between time management and work life balance of academicians working in the faculty of sport sciences. Türkiye Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 9(1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.32706/tusbid.1668141
Osmanović, A., Marić, B., & Gazivoda, R. (2024). Workaholism, work engagement and burnout among academics in Montenegro: The role of work-life balance. Work, 78(3), 1081–1092. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-230103
Önal, L., & Bedir, F. (2023). Serbest Zaman Tutum Ölçeği Kısa Formu (SZTÖ-KF): Türkçe geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Spor ve Bilim Dergisi, 1(1), 27–39.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Ragheb, M. G., & Beard, J. G. (1982). Measuring leisure attitude. Journal of Leisure Research, 14(2), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1982.11969512
Reig-Botella, A., Caballer, A., Topa, G., & Rodríguez-Sánchez, A. M. (2025). Healthy organizations: An umbrella review of psychosocial safety climate literature. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 12, 473–500. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-111821-035514
Rodríguez-Cifuentes, F., López-Gonzalez, M. A., Rubio-Garay, F., Topa, G., Belo, P., Pocinho, R., … Fernández-Muñoz, J. J. (2024). Leisure attitude, self-rated health, and psychological well-being in older adults: A moderated mediation model. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17, 1417–1431. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S453396
Schaufeli, W. B., Taris, T. W., & Bakker, A. B. (2006). Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde: On the differences between work engagement and workaholism. In R. Burke (Ed.), Research companion to working time and work addiction (pp. 193–217). Edward Elgar.
Shimazu, A., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2009). Is workaholism good or bad for employee well-being? Industrial Health, 47(5), 495–502. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.47.495
Siem, T. T., Nguyen, H. T. T., & Luc, P. T. (2025). Work-life balance in higher education: A review based on bibliographic coupling analysis. Acta Psychologica, 260, 105567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105567
Sornoza Zavala, G. A., Poveda Zúñiga, J. A., & Luna Encarnación, J. I. (2026). Tendencias investigativas sobre la calidad de vida laboral y doble presencia en docentes universitarios de Educación Física: Un análisis bibliométrico. Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, 75. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v75.118300
Strassburger, C., Wachholz, F., Peters, M., Schnitzer, M., & Blank, C. (2023). Organizational leisure benefits: A resource to facilitate employees’ work-life balance? Employee Relations, 45(3), 585–602. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-10-2021-0428
Suwannasri, C. (2016). An investigation into awareness and attitudes of vocational students in tourism towards varieties of spoken English as a lingua franca in ASEAN [Doctoral dissertation, Mahidol University].
Taris, T. W., van Beek, I., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2020). The motivational make-up of workaholism and work engagement: A longitudinal study on need satisfaction, motivation, and heavy work investment. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1419. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01419
Teixeira, A. C., & Freire, T. (2013). The leisure attitude scale: Psychometric properties of a short version. Leisure/Loisir, 37(1), 57–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2013.776748
Van Beek, I., Taris, T. W., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2011). Workaholic and work engaged employees: Dead ringers or worlds apart? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16(4), 468–482. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024392
Yılmaz, S., & Söyük, S. (2022). Determination of work–life balance in healthcare professionals: Validity and reliability of the new work–life balance scale. Archives of Health Science and Research, 9(2), 130–137. https://doi.org/10.54614/ArcHealthSciRes.2022.22025
Yurcu, G. (2021). Leisure attitude, anxiety, and mental well-being in Turkey: The case of COVID-19. European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 11(2), 181–194. https://doi.org/10.2478/ejthr-2021-0017
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammet Mavibaş, Murat Turan, Buğra Çağatay Savaş; Yunus Emre Çingöz
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
