Leisure and settlement distress: the case of South Australian migrants

Abstract

Acculturative stress is an important issue in understanding the early settlement of migrants in a new country. This stress relates to difficulties migrants experience in their adjustment to the lifestyle of their host countries. How such stress can be ameliorated through leisure activities is an under-researched area. The present study explored trends and challenges that migrants face in leisure participation during their early years in a new country. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with migrants and representatives of migration and leisure organizations in South Australia. Five themes emerged from network analysis. One significant positive theme (leisure as a coping strategy) emphasized the benefits of leisure activities to migrants as a tool to alleviate acculturative stress. However, the other four themes (employment challenges, financial issues, perceived discrimination and family obligations) disclosed negative aspects. These restrictions not only form the basis of acculturative stress among migrants but also represent hurdles for their participation in leisure activities. The results of the study indicate that, overall, migrants' leisure participation plays a significant role in decreasing acculturative stress.

Keywords:

• migrants
• acculturation
• acculturative stress
• leisure participation
• leisure constraints
• South Australia

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Notes on contributors

Hazreel Hasmi is a Ph.D. Scholar in the School of Management, University of South Australia. He comes from a background in Tourism and Hospitality management. Hazreel has a Diploma of Hotel Management, a Bachelor of Tourism Management and a Master of Technical and Vocational Education, all completed in his home country, Malaysia. His previous role has been as a lecturer in a Community College in Malaysia since 2004 teaching Tourism and hospitality subjects. His core research interests are how migrants' leisure participation helps them to survive in their new home country and develop their attachment to the place as well as the community. His research has been presented at Australasian conferences including CAUTHE and ANZALS.

Dr Michael J. Gross is a lecturer in the School of Management with the University of South Australia in Adelaide. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a major in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Denver, Masters Degrees in Education (MPET) and Business (MBA) from Deakin University, and a Ph.D. from the University of South Australia. He has an extensive professional background in international hospitality management with some of the world's foremost hotel management firms. He currently teaches in hospitality and tourism programs at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His research focus is on hospitality management and tourism management areas, and he has published research in leading international academic journals. His range of research interests include development and internationalization of hospitality firms, China hospitality industry, destination marketing, destination image, lifestyle tourism, consumer involvement, place attachment, and international education. He also supervises Ph.D., Masters, and Honors research degree candidates conducting studies by qualitative as well as quantitative research methods.

Dr Christina M. Scott-Young, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, researches factors that affect individual and team behaviour, wellbeing and performance. She previously worked at Pennsylvania State University and at the University of Melbourne. Her research has been presented at Australasian and international conferences and is published in the Journal of Operations Management and the International Journal of Operations and Production Management.