The Influence of Childhood Outdoor Recreation Experience on Visitors’ Attitude and Emotion towards Recreational Forests in Malaysia

Abstract

Childhood outdoor recreation experiences play a critical role in mitigating the modern "extinction of experience" by shaping lifelong human–nature relationships. This study investigated the structural relationships between Childhood Outdoor Recreation Experience (CORE), adult attitudes, and emotional responses at the Sungai Sedim Recreational Forest (SSRF) in Malaysia. Utilizing a quantitative survey design, data was analyzed from a clean sample of 382 active visitors. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) via Principal Component Analysis with Direct Oblimin rotation confirmed four CORE dimensions (Societal/Cultural, Interpersonal, Environmental, and Individual Influence), two Attitude components (Forest Amenities; Accessibility and Restorative Experience), and three distinct Emotion subscales (Joy, Love, and Positive Surprise). Latent constructs showed strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s \[\alpha \] = .695 to .950). Simultaneous multiple regression models showed that proximal Interpersonal Influence was the most powerful predictor of both adult cognitive attitudes (\[\beta \] = .504, \[p\] < .001) and emotional attachment (\[\beta \] = .353, \[p\] < .001), supporting Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Individual influence also positively predicted attitude (\[\beta \] = .098) and emotion (\[\beta \] = .103), with the full structural models explaining 33.9% and 25.0% of variance, respectively. Demographic variations were generally limited, except for significant differences based on marital status and ethnicity. Crucially, bootstrapping path analysis verified that adult attitude fully mediates the relationship between early childhood memories and current emotions (indirect effect = .1905, 95% bias-corrected CI [.1147, .2669]). Forest management and ecotourism policies must prioritize family-inclusive, socially supportive environments to build favorable adult cognitive values that secure generation-spanning emotional commitments to conservation.