Working from home, work-time control and mental health: Results from the Brazilian longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brasil)

Effects of working from home on lifestyle behaviors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey study

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to relevant changes in everyday life worldwide. One of these changes has been a rapid transition to and an increasing implementation of working from home (WH) modality. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of mandatory WH during the COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle behaviors, Mediterranean diet adherence, body weight, and depression. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in the early 2022 at the National Research Council of Italy using ad hoc questions and validated scales collecting information on physical activity, sedentary behavior, hobbies/pastimes, dietary habits including adherence to the Mediterranean diet, body weight, and depression during WH compared with before WH. 748 respondents were included in the study. An increased sedentary lifetime was reported by 48% of respondents; however, the subsample of workers who previously performed moderate physical activity intensified this activity. Body weight gain during WH was self-reported in 39.9% of respondents. Mediterranean diet adherence increased (p≪0.001) during WH compared with before WH. The average level of mental health did not record an overall variation; however, the proportion of subjects with mild and moderate depression increased (p = 0.006), while workers who reported values indicative of depression before the transition declared an improvement. These findings highlight health-related impact of WH during the COVID-19 pandemic that may inform future strategies and policies to improve employees' health and well-being.

Part-time or full-time teleworking? A systematic review of the psychosocial risk factors of telework from home

Introduction

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic thousands of people have experienced teleworking and this practice is becoming increasingly commonplace. This review aims to highlight the differences in exposure to psychosocial risk factors for health between part-time and full-time teleworking from home.

Methods

The protocol of the systematic review of the literature was registered on PROSPERO 2020 platform according to the PRISMA statement guidelines. The key words "telework" and "frequency" ("part-time" or "full-time"), together with their synonyms and variations, were searched. Independent researchers conducted the systematic search of 7 databases: Scopus, SciELO, PePSIC; PsycInfo, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) and Web of Science. Of the 638 articles identified from 2010 to June 2021, 32 were selected for data extraction. The authors evaluated the risk of bias and quality of evidence of the studies included using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Main themes categorized include 7 dimensions of psychosocial risk factors: work intensity and working hours; emotional demands; autonomy; social relationships at work; conflict of values, work insecurity and home/work interface.

Results

The results revealed scant practice of full-time teleworking prior to the pandemic. Regarding the psychosocial risk factors found, differences were evident before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. For part-time and full-time telework prior to the pandemic, the dimensions of intensification of work and working hours, social relationships at work, and the home-work interface were the most prominent factors. However, studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic where teleworking was mostly performed full-time, there was an increase in focus on emotional demands and the home-work interface, and a reduction in the other dimensions.

Discussion

Full-time telework brings important changes in working conditions and has the potential to affect living and health conditions of teleworkers. Part-time teleworking may have positive impact on psychosocial risk factors, favoring work-home balance, communication, and social relationships.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=191455, PROSPERO 2020 CRD4202019 1455.

The Association of Experienced Long Working Hours and Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese Medical Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Long working hours are common among medical residents and may increase the risk of mental disorders. We aimed to investigate the association between experienced long working hours and depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among Chinese medical residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This study was conducted in September 2022; 1343 residents from three center in Northeastern China were included in the final analysis (effective response rate: 87.61%). The data were collected from participants via online self-administered questionnaires. Depression and anxiety were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were determined after adjusting for potential confounders by binary unconditional logistic regression.

Results

The effective response rate was 87.61%. Among the 1343 participants, 12.88% (173), 9.90% (133), and 9.68% (130) had experienced major depression, major anxiety, and suicidal ideation, respectively. We found that longer weekly worktime increased the risk of major depression, particularly in those who worked for more than 60 hours per week (≥ 61 hours vs ≤ 40 hours, OR=1.87, P for trend = 0.003). However, this trend was not observed for either major anxiety or suicidal ideation (P for trend > 0.05 for both).

Conclusion

This study revealed that there was a considerable incidence of poor mental health among medical residents; furthermore, the longer weekly worktime was associated with a higher risk of major depression, especially for those who worked more than 60 hours per week, but this association was not observed in either major anxiety or suicidal ideation. This may help policymakers to develop targeted interventions.