With the ageing of the population, several problems associated with health arise. Increased human longevity has been attributed to technological and medical advances, as well as improved hygiene and nutritional conditions, access to health care, changes in eating habits and cognitive development strategies (Osorio, 2007). Globally, there is a great difficulty in determining what changes are typical and what are the processes that differ from natural ageing (Lima, 2010). Pocinho et al. (2013) showed that ageing is a complex, dynamic, and idiosyncratic process, in which individuals do not get age identically. In the study of Lima (2010) it was assumed that ageing goes beyond chronological age, so we must also consider biological age, associated with physical growth and health status; psychological age, related to cognitive, emotional, and motivational dimensions, as well as adaptability and learning; social age, associated with status and expected functions; and functional age, related to the person's competence to carry out specific tasks (Belo, Pocinho, & Navarro-Pardo, 2017; Lima, 2010). Ageing only began to be studied systematically in the 20th century, due to the increase of the elderly population (Pocinho et al., 2013). As in other countries, Portugal underwent the transition from a demographic model based on high fertility rates to a model characterized by low levels of births. Hence the inversion of the population pyramid is derived, considering the reduction of its base due to the decrease in the young population and the extension of its upper part, that is, the increase in the elderly population (Pocinho, 2014). At the beginning of the 21st century, the demographic pyramid suffered a decrease in the young population and a growth in the number of people at the top of the graph appeared, with the increase in the older population. Over time, a decrease in youth is evident at the base of the pyramid and in terms of gender, there has been an increase in the female sex in the age section of the oldest, between 80-99 years. In our society, the ageing of the population is an increasingly evident and, on the other hand, inevitable reality. The phenomenon of ageing is a positive occurrence for individuals and for societies that takes place because of economic and socio-biomedical progress. In this context, ageing can be studied through various perspectives and theories. The process is universal and experienced by everybody, however in different ways (Fernández-Ballesteros, 2008; Hawkins, Foose, & Binkley, 2004; Korten et al., 1999; Schneider & Irigaray, 2008). This step of the life cycle can be a time of new achievements and continued development, both in the social, cognitive, and cultural fields (Belo, Pocinho, & Navarro-Pardo, 2016; Pocinho, Belo, & Sánchez, 2016). Seems crucial and of high relevance the study of ageing as a specific stage of life. For Belo, Pocinho and Navarro-Pardo (2016) this implicates an active and continuous balance enduring its impressiveness in the interaction between maturation, learning and senescence. A new idea about ageing emerged and a new design reflects the positive aspects of the third age, where is possible to explore the potential of actions and quality of life. Objectives: This study aims to analyse the effect of leisure practice on distress and psychological well-being; analyse the mediation role of leisure attitude in the relationship between mental health and the education level in elderly people and analyse the associations between self-rated health and psychological well-being and leisure attitude. Regarding the central object of the study, we have tried to examine the attitude to do leisure activities, as well as to analyse their mental health. It was purpose to understand how the leisure attitude is related with mental health. So, regarding mental health, the existence of distress and psychological well-being were studied. The perception of their state of health has also been analysed. Methodology: Therefore, we have tried to characterize a sample of older people who live, or frequent, residential institutions for the elderly, as well as the motivations that lead them to participate in leisure activities. In more detail, the population has been characterized in relation to different sociodemographic variables, such as gender, age, level of education, marital status, and the geographical area where they live. Other variables have been considered, such as their perception of health, or if they do leisure activities and what kind of activity. The sample of the present study was compiled in several residential institutions for the elderly at the Portuguese national level, trying to represent the North and Centre regions. The information gathering process was carried out in accordance with the criteria aimed at good research practices. The general objectives of this study were explained to the participants, also guaranteeing the confidentiality and anonymity of all the data provided. The sample was collected from a convenience sampling in which subjects were at least 50 years old (Power et al., 2016) and retired. The participants were asked to answer the questionnaire by the institution director and a multidisciplinary team. It was our intention to spend the least amount of time possible in data collection, due to the physical and psychological characteristics of participants. Each questionnaire included standard instructions and participants were asked to respond to the option they felt was the most relevant to them. It was clear that there were no right and wrong answers. Participants completed the questionnaire composed by three sections: a sociodemographic data questionnaire, the Mental Health Inventory - MHI (Ribeiro, 2001) and the Leisure Attitude Scale - LAS (Freire & Fonte, 2007). Each questionnaire had standard instructions, and participants were asked to respond according to the option they considered most relevant to them. Demographic variables included age, gender (M / F), educational level, marital status, religion, area of residence (City / Rural), self-rated health (Excellent, Good, Not good or bad, Bad, Very bad), perception of health state (dependent / independent) and questions about leisure practice of the subjects (Y / N). The Mental Health Inventory (Ribeiro, 2001) is a questionnaire used for evaluating mental health issues as anxiety, depression, behavioural control, positive affect, and general distress. The Mental Health Inventory includes 38 items in which the participant uses a 5 or 6-point Likert-style response (ex. item 9: “During the last month have you felt depressed?”; item 33: “During the last month have you felt anxious or worried?”; item 34: “During the last month have you felt happy?”). The 38 items are distributed among five scales (Anxiety with 10 items; Depression, with 5 items; Loss of Emotional / Behavioural Control, with 9 items; Positive Affect, with 11 items; Emotional Ties, with 3 items). In turn, these five subscales are grouped into two major sub-scales or dimensions that respectively measure distress and psychological well-being (Distress results from the grouping of the sub-scales of Anxiety, Depression, and Loss of Emotional / Behavioural Control; while Psychological Well-Being results from the combination of sub-scales Positive Affect and Emotional Ties). The total score is the sum of the values of the items that make up each sub-scale. There are some items with reverse quote. This instrument helps measuring overall emotional functioning. Research has shown the existence of a positive (psychological well-being, positive mental health status) and another negative construct (psychological distress, negative mental health status). This type of measurement is important when the objective is to evaluate health in general, or in the context of epidemiological studies (e.g., epidemiology of health), or in the evaluation of health outcomes. The Leisure Attitude Scale (Freire & Fonte, 2007) is composed of 36 items divided into three subscales for the three components of attitude - cognitive, affective, and behavioural (ex. item 1: “Engaging in leisure activities is a good choice to spend time”; item 2: “Leisure activities bring benefits to people and society”; item 9: “Leisure activities help people to relax”). Each subscale contains 12 items, all directed to the positive direction of attitude. Likert is the response system used, which has five levels of related responses to express agreement and disagreement, in which 1 reveals an unfavourable or negative extreme attitude ("disagree") and 5 is associated to a favourable or positive extreme attitude ("totally agree"). Point 3 corresponds to a neutral level on the direction of the attitude ("neither disagree nor agree"). Higher values (above the neutral point) show more positive attitudes and, on the contrary, lower values (below the neutral point) indicate more negative attitudes towards leisure. Thus, if the concept of attitude based on the three components is of relevance for the study of attitudes in general, it is also relevant in the specific study of attitudes towards leisure since it contributes to the investigation of psycho-social and socio-cognitive aspects of leisure, and to know better and understand the degree and type of involvement of the subjects, and also the forms and processes that underlie the change of attitudes towards leisure and quality of life, in specific groups or contexts. Thus, for each sub-scale the minimum possible total value is 12 and the maximum is 60 (neutral point located at 36). Concerning the total scale, the minimum possible value is 36 and the maximum is 180 (neutral point in the value 108). The main findings of the present study are that old-aged people with higher education levels show a better psychological well-being and a more positive leisure attitude, probably because of an indirect effect on the first variable. Participants in leisure activities presented high level of well-being and attitude for leisure (p<0.05). Seniors that present big levels of distress indicated an intention to participate in activities of leisure that aided to decrease that symptom. Results showed that seniors health perception influenced the practice of a leisure activity [Hotelling's Trace = 0.077; F(3, 341) = 8.733; p= 0.00]. Also, psychological well-being is associated with a positive leisure attitude, which underlines the need for leisure interventions in old age. An important target in leisure attitude seems to be self-rated health, which proved to be an important mechanism linking leisure and mental health among old people. Gender does not appear to have effects on these relations. The leisure attitude mediated the association between education and well-being. In addition, higher levels of distress were found in participants with higher levels of education. Old-aged people with high education and a more positive leisure attitude have a better psychological adjustment concerning well-being. Also, a high level of education can lead to a better perception of ageing changes (physical, life, profession). For the first objective, the significant sociodemographic variables (covariates), the multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to examine the differences between the groups (Netter, Wasserman, & Kutner, 1990). Differences between groups were examined by controlling the influence of possible confusing variables (covariates). The post-hoc test (Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons) was also used. Also, it was an objective to explore the influence of education on the mental health of old people and the mediating role of a leisure attitude in this relationship. A quantitative research was used instead of a qualitative analysis because its purpose was to report data through the statistical analysis of the facts reported about the leisure attitude role in mediation models. Data were evaluated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM - SPSS) software, version 24. Mediation models were tested through PROCESS, a computational tool for path analysis-based mediation analysis and moderation (Hayes, 2012). To identify possible covariates that should be introduced into the mediation model, correlations between sociodemographic variables (age and gender) and the mediator and dependent variables were also computed. Parametric tests were used to study the relationship between the variables (R Pearson statistic test). Cohen’s (1988) guidelines were used to describe and interpret the effect sizes of correlations (i.e., weak for correlations close to 0.10, moderate for those near 0.30, and strong for correlations at 0.50 or higher). To examine the indirect effects, a bootstrap procedure was used to evaluate unconditional indirect effects (PROCESS assumes 5.000 "resamples") at a confidence level of 0.05 (Cohen, 1988; Hayes, 2012). Additionally, it intends to explore whether the association between psychological well-being and leisure attitude are mediated by self-rated health as well as the moderating role of gender in this association. To examine whether the hypothesized indirect effects of leisure attitude on psychological well-being through self-rated health evaluation, moderated by gender, a conditional analysis was conducted. In the model estimation, the variables used in the diagram were mean centred, to make the regression coefficients easily perceived. The nonappearance of significant interactions in one or more relations promotes the removal of the variable. Gender was tested as a moderator variable in the relation between leisure attitude and self-rated health evaluation, and in the relation between self-rated health evaluation and psychological well-being. However, this variable was removed from the estimated model because no significant interaction was found. Conclusions:Results found are in line with the findings in other studies. When we observe the relation between the level of education and the age of the participants, we can observe that, as the age range increases, education decreases, a characteristic that defines the Portuguese population, as seen in the study by Pocinho (2014). Leisure activities provide pleasure and satisfaction with life, as well as, feeling good with themselves, a sensation of being valued, respected, and socially integrated, all benefits that can promote a successful ageing. For Pocinho (2014), having quality of life is the optimal level of functioning, not only physical and social, but also mental, which therefore involves the integration of multiple dimensions of people's lives such as social relationships, the perception of his health, or a good mental state. It is important in older age to fight against stereotypes and prejudices related to ageing. Social contact goes through the promotion of self-esteem, always considering these variables as the result of successful ageing (Pocinho, et al., 2013). This research sustains the importance to consider leisure as an income of aiding psychological well-being, avoiding distress among aged people. The attitude for leisure is also high levelled in subjects that have habitual activities of time-out and relaxation. Research supported the importance of screening and distress control in seniors. The psychosocial activity of leisure is considered an essential part in providing quality health. This may be even more visible in the case of subjects with high levels of distress, due to the lack of studies that demonstrate its impact on psychosocial well-being. If the life of subjects in our study could be guided by an active participation in leisure activities, it will allow them to understand others and, subsequently, improve positive feelings and behaviours, which can develop well-being and decrease distress. Leisure activities play a leading role in intellectual development because it allows the finding of new knowledge, developing their critical opinion, joining new interpersonal relationships, allowing a time to appreciate yourself, others, and other cultures, expand their self-concept and still improve their quality of life. Leisure stimulates patterns of satisfaction and pleasure, becoming a positive life experience, and a valuable indicator of quality of life (Freire, 2000). Positive experiences appeared to be a crucial aspect for leisure, once the activities promote a belief of time quality and wellbeing (Han, & Patterson, 2007). Castro and Carreira (2015) studied the role of leisure events in institutionalized elderly population. The results showed that bestowing a positive attitude toward leisure probably is influenced by past experiences and determine the construction of beliefs and feelings. Multiple studies with seniors point out an evidence of a robust association (positive) between the involvement in activities of leisure and health (Ra, Na, & Rhee, 2013; Belo, Pocinho, & Navarro-Pardo, 2017). Ageing represents the culmination of a long process of deliberation and discussion with contributions from various perspectives and scientific domains (Fernández-Ballesteros et al., 2004). It must be assumed like a positive experience, a new stage of life that is accompanied by changes and new routines. However, it is assumed that aged people have a significant ongoing decline in physical capacities and cognitive function (Thomas et al., 2016). This worsening prompts their feelings of decreasing leisure autonomy competence as the range of their practically attainable achievements becomes limited in leisure activities (Chang & Yu, 2013). As showed by Lee et al. (2018), it is the way how individuals understand leisure and their beliefs about their ability to engage in leisure activities, that influence their orientation and attitude towards life. The present study provides new information to understand the benefits of a positive leisure attitude in old adults. As the educational level is a variable that cannot be manipulated, leisure intervention programs shall consider the importance of a leisure attitude and contemplate strategies for stress reduction. An important finding was detected in our study which is not in line with standard results: the highest level of distress was found in participants with the highest level of education; maybe a high level of education can lead to a better perception of all ageing changes (body, life, profession, etc.). In this sense, the transition to a new life-stage brings several readjustments within the family and may disturb family functioning. This could enable people to perceive themselves as generally incapable of dealing with it and transform that incapacity into a stressor. Old-aged people have the need to adopt a positive leisure attitude to perceive themselves as useful, and this feeling may contribute to nullify a stressful moment. Thus, they recognize that a new life stage is coming, and they have a good perception of personal and social changes as an essential aspect and consider that a positive leisure attitude could be of extreme importance when preparing for retirement, as pointed out by Lee et al. (2018). Furthermore, it is important to evaluate needs, interests, and expectations (Tsai et al., 2014), according to the different educational level of older adults. A greater involvement in leisure activities in older age is associated with a better health condition (Alwin & Wray, 2005; Carruthers & Hood, 2004; Chang, Wray, & Lin, 2014; Fave et al., 2018; Hutchinson & Nimrod, 2012). Moreover, the active participation in leisure activities has been considered effective in reducing depression and increasing psychological well-being (Haworth & Lewis, 2005). The levels of satisfaction are related to the seniors’ life view and their state of health, and this determines the participation in activities (Stolar, Macentee, & Hill, 1992). In addition, leisure time involvement contributes to a positive self-rated health (Confortin et al., 2015; Lima-Costa, Firmo, & Uchôa, 2005; Lucumi et al., 2013), and the studies about the relation between leisure engagement and well-being indicate a positive effect on health outcomes of old people (Silverstein & Parker, 2002; Windle et al., 2010). Life expectancy is greater for women in virtually every country on earth, in every age (Idler, 2003; Zajacova, Huzurbazar, & Todd, 2017). Previous studies show that women’s rate of self-rated health is poorer than men’s self-rated health (Bath, 2003; Deeg & Kriegsman, 2003; Fernández, Bixby, & Honkanen, 2016; Idler, 2003; Lu & Zhang, 2019; Zajacova, Huzurbazar, & Todd, 2017), because women understand better the disease and have a tendency to evaluate worse their health condition (Idler, 2003). A negative attitude towards ageing in terms of daily changes (physical, social, cognitive) is associated with dissatisfaction concerning health (Kotala, 2015). A positive leisure attitude can improve the way how old people perceive their health (Ferrari et al., 2016). If a positive leisure attitude is displayed, it can improve psychological well-being among old people which will contribute to a good self-rated health evaluation. Adopting a positive attitude towards leisure helps old people in the transition to adjust life to their abilities regarding a positive psychological well-being (Ferrari et al., 2016; Kotala, 2015). Some people can experience a loss of functional behaviour which has an impact on their leisure perception (Ferrari et al., 2016; Kotala, 2015). A leisure attitude can be interpreted as a variable which can boost the person to obtain life satisfaction, maximized by psychological well-being (Argan, Argan, & Dursun, 2018; Castro & Carreira, 2015) and decrease health risks (Castro & Carreira, 2015). The present study not only showed that leisure has a positive impact on the lives of the elderly, but these have both a high quality of life and a better attitude to continue participating in leisure activities. In addition, these are spaces of socialization that avoid social isolation, an occurrence presents in the old population and which inversely correlate with optimal ageing. Leisure has a positive impact for psychological well-being, promotes interpersonal relationships, and cultural knowledge. Activities that raise more longevity and a better physical action should consequently get more attention during the cycle of life. In short, the participation of older adults in this type of activities could be defined as a commitment for a positive experience. For Han and Patterson (2007), the relation found by leisure, health, and well-being has an enduring connection. Feeling a satisfying attitude through leisure participation (time spent reading, contact with nature, spend time visit other people, eating in the company and participation in religious groups) are defined as one of the most important benefits of leisure, and has been exposed to contribute to improve the quality of life (Belo, Pocinho, & Navarro-Pardo, 2017). Leisure attitude has a positive impact for psychological well-being, promotes interpersonal relationships, and cultural knowledge. Activities that raise more longevity and a better physical action should consequently get more attention in the cycle of life. In short, the participation of older adults in this type of activities could be defined as a commitment for a positive experience (Belo, Navarro-Pardo, Pocinho, Carrana, & Margarido, 2020). This study allowed us to understand how personal characteristics can influence leisure attitude, so it will be useful for multidisciplinary teams to anticipate difficulties and try to prepare an action plan so that the attitude towards leisure is positive so that it can increase their quality of life and mental well-being.