Introduction and objectiveWhile the fast-paced and productivity-oriented structure of modern life distances individuals from the natural environment, leisure activities, particularly outdoor recreation, play a vital role in supporting physical and psychosocial well-being. Camping, as a common outdoor recreational activity, involves uncertainty, risk, and personal responsibility, making self-efficacy a key factor in developing safe, conscious, and sustainable behaviors. Despite its importance, practice-based studies focusing on self-efficacy among campers remain limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine campers’ self-efficacy levels within the context of outdoor recreation and to investigate their relationships with demographic characteristics, physical activity habits, camping experience, and socioeconomic variables.MethodsThis descriptive and correlational study collected data through face-to-face surveys from 317 volunteer campers in Antalya, Muğla, and İzmir. The Outdoor Recreation Self-Efficacy Scale was used for data collection. Independent sample t-tests were conducted according to gender, educational status, and regular exercise habits, while correlation, regression, and one-way ANOVA analyses were performed based on age, income level, and camping experience.ResultsThe results showed that male participants had higher self-efficacy levels than female participants. Age was weakly but significantly associated only with the skills/competence sub-dimension. University graduates demonstrated significantly higher self-efficacy than high school graduates. Regular exercise emerged as one of the strongest predictors, showing large effect sizes across all sub-dimensions and total scores. Moreover, self-efficacy increased significantly with greater camping experience. Income level also had a small to moderate effect on self-efficacy.ConclusionThe findings indicate that self-efficacy in camping and outdoor recreation is multidimensional, experience-dependent, and context-sensitive. These results offer valuable implications for promoting safe and sustainable camping practices, developing inclusive outdoor programs, and enhancing the psychosocial benefits of recreational participation.
Source: Outdoor recreation self-efficacy among campers: an exemplary application