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

Aidan Bodner, Leo Ruhl, Emily Barr, Arti Shridhar, Shayna Skakoon-Sparling and Kiffer George Card ()
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Aidan Bodner: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Leo Ruhl: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Emily Barr: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Arti Shridhar: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Shayna Skakoon-Sparling: Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University (Formerly Ryerson), Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Kiffer George Card: Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a considerable expansion in the way work settings are structured, with a continuum emerging between working fully in-person and from home. The pandemic has also exacerbated many risk factors for poor mental health in the workplace, especially in public-facing jobs. Therefore, we sought to test the potential relationship between work setting and self-rated mental health. To do so, we modeled the association of work setting (only working from home, only in-person, hybrid) on self-rated mental health (Excellent/Very Good/Good vs. Fair/Poor) in an online survey of Canadian workers during the third wave of COVID-19. The mediating effects of vaccination, masking, and distancing were explored due to the potential effect of COVID-19-related stress on mental health among those working in-person. Among 1576 workers, most reported hybrid work (77.2%). Most also reported good self-rated mental health (80.7%). Exclusive work from home (aOR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.90, 4.07) and exclusive in-person work (aOR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.83, 4.26) were associated with poorer self-rated mental health than hybrid work. Vaccine status mediated only a small proportion of this relationship (7%), while masking and physical distancing were not mediators. We conclude that hybrid work arrangements were associated with positive self-rated mental health. Compliance with vaccination, masking, and distancing recommendations did not meaningfully mediate this relationship.

Keywords: COVID-19; mental health; occupational health; telecommuting; masking; physical distancing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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