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Telework and Mental Health during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Inês Mendonça

    (Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Franz Coelho

    (Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Paulo Ferrajão

    (Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology, Universidade Europeia, 1500-210 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Ana Maria Abreu

    (Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal
    Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal)

Abstract

COVID-19 has come to change societal organization. Due to lockdowns, work typologies have been rethought and telework has gained strength. However, the impact of the constant use of information and communication technologies on the mental health of workers needs to be considered. We aimed to investigate the impact of different work conditions on mental health, to which end we disseminated an online questionnaire during lockdowns to assess imagined surveillance, mobile maintenance expectation, communication overload, feelings of entrapment, depression, anxiety, stress, and flourishing in four groups (employed in telework, employed on-site, employed in layoff, and unemployed). We computed mean comparisons and serial mediations. We show that depression and anxiety were more prevalent in women; parents flourished more than people without children; and people with a higher level of education feel more entrapment. Crucially, we show that telework was associated with imagined surveillance and communication overload, which mediated the association with mobile maintenance expectations and entrapment (which was exacerbated by parenthood), impacting mental health and the quality of life. However, this was also partially observed in the remaining work conditions. Finally, flourishing worked as a protector against mental health issues in all work conditions. We discuss this given the massification of digital migration.

Suggested Citation

  • Inês Mendonça & Franz Coelho & Paulo Ferrajão & Ana Maria Abreu, 2022. "Telework and Mental Health during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2602-:d:757150
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Aidan Bodner & Leo Ruhl & Emily Barr & Arti Shridhar & Shayna Skakoon-Sparling & Kiffer George Card, 2022. "The Impact of Working from Home on Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of Canadian Worker’s Mental Health during the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Sandra Figueiredo & Raquel João & Laura Alho & João Hipólito, 2022. "Psychological Research on Sleep Problems and Adjustment of Working Hours during Teleworking in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Joan Sebastián Rojas Rincón & Andrés Ricardo Riveros Tarazona & Andrés Mauricio Mejía Martínez & Julio César Acosta-Prado, 2023. "Sentiment Analysis on Twitter-Based Teleworking in a Post-Pandemic COVID-19 Context," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-22, November.
    5. Jorge de Andrés-Sánchez, 2023. "A Configurational Evaluation of Spanish Teleworkers’ Perception and Nonperception of Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, July.
    6. Jorge De Andres-Sanchez & Angel Belzunegui-Eraso & Mar Souto-Romero, 2023. "Perception of the Effects of Working from Home on Isolation and Stress by Spanish Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-25, January.

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