TElewoRk-RelAted Stress (TERRA), Psychological and Physical Strain of Working From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Psychological distress among Brazilian workers during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive study

Background

COVID-19 pandemic imposed drastic and abrupt changes to working environment and organization and that might have caused additional negative effects on mental health. Thus, this study aimed to quantify and assess the severity of psychological distress experienced by Brazilian essential and nonessential workers during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This descriptive study included 2,903 participants who answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. The research questionnaire was translated and culturally adapted to the Brazilian population from a questionnaire developed and validated for the Spanish population. Variables were analyzed using simple and cumulative percentage distributions and measures of central tendency and dispersion. The Wilson score interval was used to calculate confidence interval (CI) for the main outcome, psychological distress.

Results

It was observed a high prevalence (72.6%) of psychological distress among the study's participants. They also presented a median risk perception score of 60 (out of a maximum of 90), and their greatest concern was transmitting the virus to family members, close contacts or patients. Furthermore, it was found a lower sense of coherence and work engagement among the participants than those observed in previous studies conducted in other countries.

Conclusion

Almost three quarters of the study's participants were classified as presenting psychological distress. Thus, it is imperative to provide mental health remotely delivered interventions to workers during public health events that require prolonged social distancing measures.

The impact of remote work using mobile information and communication technologies on physical health: a systematic review

Remote e-working with information and communication technology (ICT) has long been on the rise, with its implementation accelerated by mandatory working from home regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic literature review summarises the influencing factors of ICT-based remote e-working (device types, duration of use, user interfaces, etc.) on the physical health (musculoskeletal system and eyes) of knowledge workers. A search in four electronic databases and a manual search in four German journals resulted in 21 articles being included in this review. A bias analysis was conducted for all articles. Unfavourable postures, inappropriate working devices and certain environmental factors may cause a range of physical complaints, even after comparably short periods of time. Mostly, these complaints are greater compared to those experienced when working on a fully equipped stationary computer. Therefore, remote e-working requires careful planning, awareness, and the willingness to embrace working situations that counteract these problems.

Cardiac autonomic profile, perceived stress and environmental comfort in healthy employees during remote and in-office work

Remote work (REMOTE) causes an overlap between working and domestic demands. The study of the cardiac autonomic profile (CAP) by means of heart rate variability (HRV) provides information about the impact of REMOTE on workers' health. The primary aim was to determine whether CAP, self-perceived stress, environmental and workstation comfort are modified during REMOTE. The secondary aim was to explore how these indices are influenced by individual and environmental work-related factors. Fifty healthy office employees alternating REMOTE and in-office (OFFICE) working were enrolled, rated self-perceived stress, environmental and workstation comfort using a visual analogue scale and performed a 24-h electrocardiogram during REMOTE and OFFICE. Stress was lower (5.6 ± 2.2 vs. 6.4 ± 1.8), environmental comfort higher (7.7 ± 1.9 vs. 7.0 ± 1.5), and the workstation comfort poorer (6.2 ± 1.8 vs. 7.5 ± 1.2) during REMOTE. CAP was similar during REMOTE and OFFICE. CAP was influenced by some work-related factors, including the presence of offspring, absence of a dedicated workspace during REMOTE and number of working hours. All these variables determined a decreased vagal modulation. The working setting seems to impact the levels of perceived stress and comfort, but not the CAP. However, individual and environmental work-related factors reduce cardiac vagal modulation during REMOTE, potentially increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Perceptions of COVID-19 during and after the Omicron outbreak among healthcare personnel in Indonesia

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic occurred in several waves with different levels of seriousness. Healthcare personnel (HCP) constituted a high-risk population for COVID-19, necessitating monitoring of their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) status and level of psychological distress. This study investigated differences in the impacts of COVID-19 during and after the Omicron outbreak among HCP in Indonesia.

Methods

An online structured questionnaire survey was distributed twice in selected hospitals of Indonesia: the first survey was between December 2021 and February 2022 (Omicron era) and the second between August and October 2022 (post-Omicron era). A multiple logistic regression model was used to determine the differences in KAP and psychological distress among HCP toward COVID-19 with demographic characteristics adjusted for.

Results

This study included 402 (Omicron era) and 584 (post-Omicron era) HCP members. Positive attitudes were more common in the Omicron era than in the post-Omicron era (p = 0.001). The availability of face shields and protective eyewear significantly decreased from 62.7 to 55.6% (p = 0.028). However, psychological distress among HCP significantly increased after the Omicron outbreak (p = 0.024). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed a decrease of positive attitudes (OR = 0.626; 95% CI = 0.476-0.823) in the post-Omicron era.

Conclusion

Our data indicated a significant increase in psychological distress among HCP in the post-Omicron era. These findings suggest a need for greater focus on psychological distress among HCP in Indonesia.

Stress at Work and Well-being Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A 1-Year Longitudinal Study in Switzerland

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to analyze the development of conditions at work and health-related variables (notably exhaustion) in Switzerland longitudinally before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Questionnaire data were collected from a population-based sample of 1,553 employees in February 2020 and 1 year later. Health and well-being associated with ( a ) working conditions in general and ( b ) COVID-19-specific predictors such as worries about being infected and conditions for working at home were analyzed using analysis of (co)variance and multiple regression.

RESULTS

Conditions at work and well-being were stable overall, even indicating slight improvements, notably for men compared with women. Both an index representing stressors and resources at work in general (Job Stress Index) and a COVID-19-related demand index showed consistent effects on health and the effect of COVID-19-related demands was stronger if the Job Stress Index deteriorated than when it improved.

Anxiety prevalence and associated factors among frontline nurses following the COVID-19 pandemic: a large-scale cross-sectional study

Introduction

Nurses are more likely to experience anxiety following the coronavirus 2019 epidemic. Anxiety could compromise nurses' work efficiency and diminish their professional commitment. This study aims to investigate nurses' anxiety prevalence and related factors following the pandemic in multiple hospitals across China.

Methods

An online survey was conducted from April 16 to July 3, 2023, targeting frontline nurses who had actively participated in China. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using the Self-rating Anxiety Scale and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors linked with anxiety.

Results

A total of 2,210 frontline nurses participated in the study. Overall, 65.07% of participants displayed clinically significant anxiety symptoms. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that nurses living with their families [2.52(95% CI: 1.68-3.77)] and those with higher SDS scores [1.26(95% CI: 1.24-1.29)] faced an elevated risk of anxiety. Conversely, female nurses [0.02(95% CI: 0.00-0.90)] and those who had recovered from infection [0.05(95%CI: 0.07-0.18)] demonstrated lower rates of anxiety.

Discussion

This study highlights the association between SDS score, gender, virus infection, living arrangements and anxiety. Frontline nurses need to be provided with emotional support to prevent anxiety. These insights can guide interventions to protect the mental well-being of frontline nurses in the post-pandemic period.

Work stressors, work-family conflict, parents' depressive symptoms and perceived parental concern for their children's mental health during COVID-19 in Canada: a cross-sectional analysis

BACKGROUND

Work-related stressors and work-family conflict are important social determinants of mental health. While the impact of these stressors on parents' mental health is well documented, we know comparatively less about their impact on children's mental health. Furthermore, though the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered these stressors, particularly with the increase in teleworking, major knowledge gaps persist regarding the association between parents' stressors and perceived parental concern for their children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the stress contagion perspective, this study tests (1) the mediating role of parents' depressive symptoms with parental concern for their children's mental health, and (2) whether these associations vary depending on whether parents had the opportunity to engage in telework.

METHODS

A path analysis was performed from a cross-sectional analytic sample of 780 employed parents in the province of Quebec (Canada). The same model was then stratified by teleworking opportunity. The model's indirect associations were obtained by the bootstrap bias-corrected method with 1,000 replications.

RESULTS

The results show that the stressors of work-to-family conflict, increased difficulties in work-family balance since the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular schedules, low esteem derived from work, and job insecurity were all indirectly associated with an increase in parental concern for their children's mental health through increased parents' depressive symptoms. However, some associations differ depending on teleworking status. The indirect associations involving increased difficulties in work-family balance since the COVID-19 pandemic as well as irregular work schedules were observed only in the teleworking group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study fills a gap in research on the association between the work-family interface and parental concern for their children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the importance of concerted and cohesive action between child health policies and those regarding work and work-family balance to prevent work-related psychosocial risks, particularly considering the post pandemic expanded and persistent reliance on teleworking.

Impact of digital stress on negative emotions and physical complaints in the home office: a follow up study

Background

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many employees perform under increasingly digital conditions. Enabling home office environments became mandatory for companies wherever possible in consideration of the ongoing pandemic. Simultaneously, studies reported on digital stress. The current literature lacks rigorous research into digital stress on psychosomatic outcomes, emotions, and disease. Therefore, we endeavor to understand how digital stress developed over the course of the pandemic and if it predicts differences in negative emotions and physical complaints in the home office setting.

Methods

To answer the research question, we conducted an online survey among 441 employees in 2020 and 398 employees in 2022 from three municipal administrations in Germany, who were working from home at least occasionally. We used a cluster analysis to detect digitally stressed employees. Regression analyses were performed on digital stress, negative emotions, and physical complaints.

Results

The analysis revealed an increase from 9 to 20% in digital stress, while negative emotions and physical complaints did not show evident differences. In the multivariate model, we observe a change in the proportion of digitally stressed employees between 4 and 17%, while the control variables explain around 9%.

Conclusions

Digital stress did not significantly affect either negative emotions or physical complaints. However, digital stress appeared to exert a more substantial predictive influence on negative emotions. The study emphasizes rising digital stress, which contradicts a positive adaption to the digital working conditions within the observed period. The psychosomatic relations are low or lagged. Further research investigating digital stress and countermeasures, especially to understand how to prevent harmful long-term effects such as distress resulting from working from home conditions, is needed.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on indirect costs of mental illness and behavioral disorders in Poland

Introduction

In various research, the estimation of the disease's economic burden has been taken into consideration. But given the fact that different settings will have distinguished consequences, determining the economic burden of COVID-19 in the studied environment is of great importance. As a result, this study aimed to show the change in indirect costs of mental health problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.

Methods and Results

Indirect costs related to mental health problems were analyzed from the perspective of the Social Insurance Institution in Poland. In 2021, they amounted to about 285.8 billion PLN (Polish currency) [61.1 billion EUR (European currency)], up 6% from the previous year. A large increase in spending on disability benefits was observed for 2019-2021 (+14.7%). Disease groups generating the highest expenditures in the structure of total expenditures on incapacity benefits in 2021 in Poland were mental health problems (16.7% of total expenditures). Expenditures on disability benefits related to mental health problems incurred by Social Security in 2021 amounted to about 7.42 billion PLN [1.6 billion EUR] and were 19.4% higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic). In the 2012-2019 period, there was a significant decrease in expenses related to inpatient rehabilitation (41.3%), while in 2020-2021, these expenses decreased several times as the epidemiological situation related to the COVID pandemic reduced access to such services.

Discussion

This is the first study on the economic burden of COVID-19 indirect costs in Poland. Calculating the economic impact is crucial, particularly when there is a large disease outbreak and countries are severely constrained by financial resources. Doing so could aid in the development of effective social security policies. As shown in this study, the indirect costs of absenteeism expenses due to mental health problems increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to take all possible measures, both in the field of primary and secondary prevention, to prevent disability and exclusion from the labor market of people affected by mental health problems, which is justified by epidemiological data and financial data on the expenses incurred by Social Security for social insurance benefits.

Interventions to Reduce Stress and Burnout among Teachers: A Scoping Review

Background: Teaching is recognized as a highly challenging profession. Experience of chronic stress is a risk factor for poor mental and physical well-being, and burnout. There is limited knowledge regarding optimal interventions to address stress and burnout among teachers. Objective: To undertake a scoping review of the literature in the last five years to determine various psychological interventions to address stress and burnout among teachers. Method: The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews was followed. Relevant search terms were used to determine different interventions adopted to reduce teachers' stress and burnout. Articles published between 2018 and 2022 were identified using five bibliographic databases. Relevant articles were extracted, reviewed, collated, and thematically analyzed, and findings s were summarized. Results: Forty studies conducted in Asia, North America, Oceania, Europe, and Africa, met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen kinds of burnout and stress-reduction interventions were identified. The most popularly studied intervention were Mindfulness-Based Interventions alone or in combination with yoga or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), followed by Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). Mindfulness-Based Interventions led to decreased overall Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) and emotional exhaustion subscale scores. REBT, primarily used with special education teachers, especially in Africa, has also shown positive results. Other interventions reporting positive outcomes include Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR), the Stress Management and Resiliency Training Program (SMART), Cyclic Meditation, Group Sandplay, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Autogenic Training, Sport-Based Physical Activity, Emotional Intelligence Ability Models and Christian Prayer and Prayer-Reflection. Conclusions: Stress and burnout can have a negative impact on teachers and, very often, on the students they teach. Implementing suitable school-based interventions is necessary to improve teachers' stress-coping ability, reduce the likelihood of burnout and improve general well-being. Policymakers, governments, school boards and administrators should prioritize the implementation of school-based awareness and intervention programs.

Coping with burnout and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers' mental health: A systematic review

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the psychological wellbeing of workers worldwide. Certain coping styles may increase burnout risk. To investigate the relationship between burnout and coping styles, a systematic review was performed.

Methods

Following the PRISMA statements, three databases were screened up until October 2022, including research articles written in English language and investigating the relationship between burnout and coping strategies in workers. The quality of articles was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Results

The initial search resulted in 3,413 records, 15 of which were included in this review. Most studies were performed on healthcare workers (n = 13, 86.6%) and included a majority of female workers (n = 13, 86.7%). The most used burnout assessment questionnaire was the Maslach Burnout Inventory (n = 8, 53.3%), and the most used coping assessment tool was the Brief-COPE (n = 6, 40.0%). Task-related coping was a protective factor for burnout in all four studies investigating its correlation with burnout dimensions. Two of the four studies investigating emotion-oriented coping found that it was protective while the other two found that it was predictive of burnout. All five studies investigating avoidance-oriented coping and burnout dimensions found that this coping style was predictive of burnout.

Discussion

Task-oriented and adaptive coping were protective for burnout, avoidance-oriented, and maladaptive coping were predictive factors of burnout. Mixed results were highlighted concerning emotion-oriented coping, suggesting that different outcomes of this coping style may depend on gender, with women relying more on it than men. In conclusion, further research is needed to investigate the effect of coping styles in individuals, and how these correlates with their unique characteristics. Training workers about appropriate coping styles to adopt may be essential to enact prevention strategies to reduce burnout incidence in workers.

Associations of COVID-19 Related Work Stressors with Psychological Distress: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Californian Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert immense societal impacts, with recent data showing inequitable distribution of consequences among racial and ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to assess associations between COVID-related work stressors and psychological distress, with special emphasis on differences by race and ethnicity. Data were from the population-based California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2020. Associations of individual and cumulative work stressors, including job loss, reduced work hours, and working from home, with psychological distress in 12,113 workers were examined via multivariable linear regression, and stratified analyses were conducted for racial and ethnic subgroups. After adjustment for covariates, compared to workers with no work stressors, those who experienced either one or two/more work stressors had higher psychological distress (βs and 95% CIs were 0.80 [0.51, 1.09] and 1.98 [1.41, 2.56], respectively). Notably, experiencing cumulative (two/more) work stressors had much stronger effects on psychological distress among participants who were Black (β and 95% CI were 3.51 [1.09, 5.93]) or racial minorities (β and 95% CI were 3.57 [1.10, 6.05]). Occupational consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with increased psychological distress in Californian workers and inequitably distributed, with racial and ethnic minorities suffering the greatest burden.