Moran Mika Ruchama, Heller Oren, Chun Yung, Shlomo Yaniv, Grinstein-Weiss Michal
School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
BMJ Public Health. 2023 Sep 21;1(1):e000133. doi: 10.1136/bmjph-2023-000133. eCollection 2023 Nov.
Accumulating evidence points at increases in mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been attributed, among other things, to social distancing policies, such as the shift to remote work from home (henceforth: remote work). The current study examines whether changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in working environments from on-site to remote work (or vice versa) are associated with changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms among Israeli employees with different demographic characteristics.
We administered three consecutive online surveys between January and November 2021 among 2389 Israelis who work. We conducted panel regression models with individual fixed effects using anxiety and depressive symptoms as outcomes and remote work as exposure, while accounting for sociodemographic variables. We repeated this analysis among subgroups defined by demographic characteristics.
Symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) decreased from 4.27 and 5.98 in January to 3.35 and 4.57 in November 2021, respectively. Increased risk for anxiety and depressive symptoms were significantly associated with remote work. These associations were significant among non-partnered adults and among adults with no children, but not among partnered adults and those with children. Remote work was significantly associated with anxiety among men and with depression among women.
Remote work is associated with anxiety and depression and these associations vary across different sociodemographic groups.
越来越多的证据表明，在新冠疫情期间心理健康问题有所增加，这在一定程度上归因于社交距离政策，比如从现场工作转向居家远程工作（以下简称：远程工作）。本研究调查了在新冠疫情期间，工作环境从现场工作转变为远程工作（或反之）是否与不同人口统计学特征的以色列员工的焦虑和抑郁症状变化有关。
2021年1月至11月期间，我们对2389名在职以色列人进行了连续三次在线调查。我们使用焦虑和抑郁症状作为结果变量，远程工作作为暴露变量，采用个体固定效应的面板回归模型，同时考虑社会人口学变量。我们在按人口统计学特征定义的亚组中重复了这一分析。
焦虑症状（广泛性焦虑障碍量表-7）和抑郁症状（患者健康问卷-9）分别从1月的4.27和5.98降至2021年11月的3.35和4.57。焦虑和抑郁症状风险增加与远程工作显著相关。这些关联在非伴侣成年人和无子女成年人中显著，但在伴侣成年人和有子女成年人中不显著。远程工作与男性的焦虑以及女性的抑郁显著相关。
远程工作与焦虑和抑郁有关，并且这些关联在不同社会人口学群体中存在差异。
