Leisure as a protective factor. Perception of young adults of the city of Melill Díaz-Esterri, Jorge Sevillano-Monje, Verónica Poza Vilches, María De Fátima Valenzuela, Rafael Leisure Disadvantaged youth Drug addiction education This work was supported through the research contract agreed by article 60 of the Organic Law 2/2023 of 22 March on the University System, entitled "Melilla, Social City. Studies on the effect of COVID-19 on young people and social services professionals" [Melilla, Ciudad Social. Estudios sobre el efecto de la COVID-19 en los jóvenes y profesionales de los servicios sociales] with the Ministry of Districts, Youth and Citizen Participation of the Autonomous City of Melilla [Consejería de Distritos, Juventud y Participación Ciudadana de la Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla] (Ref. 0137463PB01A01). It has also been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation entitled “Self-regulated Time Management in Youth: Leisure, Well-being and Social Supports” (Esfera Joven), (Ref. PID2022-142272OB-I00). Leisure is a potential protective factor against risks such as social exclusion or drug and alcohol consumption. The aim of this article is identifying the relevance of the management of leisure activities as a protective factor against these risks. In this exploratory diagnostic study, 80 semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people between 18 and 35 years of age from Melilla. A large majority of the participants considered that leisure acts as a protective factor against drug consumption and exclusion and it is an essential component in the configuration of the social network. Despite this, the local leisure offerings were valued negatively. These results show that young adults of Melilla recognize and demand valuable leisure offerings that enable them to face pressing problems such as the consumption of drugs and social exclusion. This is not only supported by their demands but also by various proposals that they raise. 2026-01-26T10:45:26Z 2026-01-26T10:45:26Z 2025-12 journal article Díaz-Esterri, J., Sevillano-Monje, V., Poza-Vilches, F., & Valenzuela, R. (2025). Leisure as a protective factor. Perception of young adults of the city of Melilla. World Leisure Journal, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2025.2596323 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/110260 10.1080/16078055.2025.2596323 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ embargoed access Atribución 4.0 Internacional Taylor and Francis