2025/01/01 by Chungsup Lee, Amy Chan Hyung Kim, Jungsu Ryu +4
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management #Retirement, Disability, and Employment #Sport and Mega-Event Impacts
paper · doi:10.1123/japa.2024-0284
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Backgrounds/Objectives: Identity transition is an inevitable change for retirees as they lose work-related identities. This study aimed to examine how pickleball participation could contribute to retirees' identity formation while investigating the mediating role of skill rating and psychological involvement. METHODS: The data from 188 retired participants at the 2019 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships were used. A Serial Multiple Mediation using bootstrapping was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships. RESULTS: Pickleball participation was positively associated with skill rating and psychological involvement, while psychological involvement had the strongest direct effect on leisure identity. Mere participation did not directly affect leisure identity, but indirect effects were observed through skill rating and psychological involvement. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that skill development and psychological involvement in pickleball contribute significantly to leisure identity formation among retirees, highlighting the importance of committed engagement in leisure activities such as pickleball for identity formation postretirement. Significance/Implications: This study provides insights for sport organizations and managers to develop programs that foster skill development and psychological involvement in pickleball, potentially supporting retirees in forming new leisure-based identities and facilitating successful aging and retirement adjustment.