Working from Home Under Social Isolation: Online Content Contributions During the Coronavirus Shock

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prithwiraj Choudhury ◽  
Wesley Koo ◽  
Xina LI
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Online Content ◽  
Working From Home

scholarly journals Remote Relaxation and Acceptance Training for the Management of Stress in Cancer Patients: A Study Protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Marzorati ◽  
Silvia Francesca Maria Pizzoli ◽  
Roberto Grasso ◽  
Gabriella Pravettoni
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Online Content ◽  
Group Randomized Trial ◽  
Perceived Social Isolation

Background: Cancer patients are now facing a double distinctive challenge of survival against both the disease and fear of contracting COVID-19. This challenge has resulted in the forced adoption of social distancing measures and reorganization of the delivery of medical and psychological treatments. The perceived loneliness and uncertainty increased distress and symptoms burden. In the current period, eHealth interventions might provide valuable benefits in the field of cancer care.Objective: The overall goal of the study protocol will be to provide an innovative intervention for cancer patients based on an online platform, to help them manage and prevent psychological problems related to social isolation. Specifically, the efficacy of two web-based interventions aimed at lowering stress in cancer patients will be tested and compared.Methods: One hundred and fifty participants (75 per group) will be enrolled in a two-group randomized trial. The two interventions will be composed either by exercises on relaxation and meditation practices, presented in both automated online content and interactive group sessions or by fixed psychoeducational online content. Stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, distress, resilience, and perceived social isolation will be measured before the start of the interventions (T0), 2 weeks (T1), 4 weeks (T2), and 2 months (T3) after the beginning of the interventions in both groups. A repeated measures ANOVA will be performed to test differences in the questionnaires' scores between groups across the four-time points.Expected Results: We hypothesized greater improvement in the specific domain of stress symptoms (IES-R) assessed in the group receiving the interactive intervention, compared to the group which will receive only fully automated psychoeducational content. Secondarily, we expect the same trend of improvement across all the psychological variables in the blended intervention group.Conclusions: Implementing these practices on people who are forced into mandatory social isolation may help them become more aware of their mind-body condition and reduce negative effects. Moreover, relaxation techniques help individuals in achieving a greater state of well-being, increasing the ability to cope with stressful situations (resilience), and strengthening the immune system.

scholarly journals The Online Education System: COVID-19 Demands, Trends, Implications, Challenges, Lessons, Insights, Opportunities, Outlooks, and Directions in the Work from Home

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12197
Author(s):  
Ana Dias ◽  
Annibal Scavarda ◽  
Haydee Silveira ◽  
Luiz Felipe Scavarda ◽  
Kiran Kumar Kondamareddy
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Scientific Databases ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Deviation Coefficient ◽  
City Schools

The aim of this exploratory research is to identify how working from home and the consequent social isolation interfered in teachers’ work and students’ learning and to identify the challenges, difficulties, advantages, opportunities, demands, trends, implications, outlooks, lessons, directions, and feelings of students and teachers in the teaching processes during the COVID-19 pandemic period. To reach its aim, the authors of this paper developed searches and scientific databases and they also sent an email questionnaire to Rio de Janeiro city schools. The descriptive analyses were made by descriptive statistics (proportions, rates, minimum, maximum, mean, median, standard deviation, coefficient of variation—CV). The results show that working from home and the consequent social isolation interfered in the students’ and teachers’ feelings and sensations and highlight the words “frustration”, “hope”, and “strangeness”. From the sample, 96.4% of the teachers affirmed that working from home and the social isolation interfered in their work and 97.4% of the teachers affirmed that working from home and the consequent social isolation interfered in the students’ learning. This research is the starting point to boost discussions on the subjects of COVID-19, working from home, social isolation, and education. This paper will support researchers in the development of future studies related to the subjects.

scholarly journals Working From Home Before, During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Workers and Organisations

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Green ◽  
David Tappin ◽  
Tim Bentley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Business Continuity ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Flexible Work ◽  
Employee Wellbeing ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Technological Limitations

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted, to date, in an estimated 29 per cent of the New Zealand (NZ) workforce moving quickly from centralised work locations to full time working from home (WFH).  The literature prior to these extraordinary events suggests WFH is beneficial for employee wellbeing and performance, and organisational outcomes, notably productivity, retention, and business continuity in times of disruption.  Lack of organisational preparedness, technological limitations, managerial reluctance, and the potential drawbacks of social isolation have meant that the rates of regular, planned WFH as a flexible work option have traditionally been low.  This paper summarises the knowledge base of benefits and limitations of WFH prior to COVID-19 and speculates how the experiences of WFH during the pandemic are likely to shape the future of WFH for workers, organisations, and employees.

scholarly journals A pandémia hatása a személyes kapcsolathálózati struktúrára.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-357
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Working From Home ◽  
Significant Difference

Összefoglaló. Jelen írásban a biztonság három dimenziójának (egészség, munka, emberi kapcsolatok) összefüggésében a home office pozitív és negatív jellemzőit vizsgáljuk meg a pandémiás időszakban. Tanulmányunk egy 2020 májusában, reprezentatív mintán lekérdezett felmérés adataira épül, mely a vírushelyzetre vonatkozó kérdéseket és egy kapcsolati naplót tartalmazott. Az eredmények alapján a home office-ban dolgozók kevésbé voltak kitéve a fertőzésveszélynek: kevesebb időt töltöttek saját otthonukon kívül és tömegközlekedést is kevésbé használtak. Másrészt az otthonról dolgozók átlagosan kevesebb emberrel is találkoztak személyesen. A találkozásokban mutatkozó különbséget ugyanakkor kifejezetten a munkatársi kapcsolatok magyarázzák, míg a családi és baráti kapcsolataik megvédték az otthonról dolgozókat a társas izoláció veszélyétől. Summary. The emergence of the Covid-19 virus in spring 2020 has significantly transformed the daily lives of the population. One of the major changes affecting the world of work is that many people have been able to work remotely from home. In this paper, we focus on the home office phenomenon with regard to the three dimensions of security (health, work and human relations) and examine its positive and negative impacts in the context of human relations during the pandemic. It is assumed that home office is more secure against the virus, as those working from home may choose not to leave their homes at all and thus protect themselves from the virus by being physically isolated. On the other hand, it is also assumed that home office workers encounter fewer people than non-home office workers and are therefore more vulnerable to social isolation. In our study, we compare the characteristics of these two groups using descriptive statistics based on data from a national representative sample of 1,001 people contacted by telephone in May 2020. The survey included questions on the pandemic situation on the one hand, and a so-called contact diary on the other hand, in which respondents were asked to name all persons (and their characteristics) with whom they had spoken on that day beyond saying hello. First, the results show that home office workers were indeed less exposed to the risk of infection, as they spent significantly less time away from home, used public transport less, and none of them were abroad. Second, our data also show that there is a significant difference in the number of face-to-face encounters between home and non-home workers. Home office workers met on average two people face-to-face on the day of the survey, while non-home office workers met on average five people. While no significant difference was found in the number of relatives – whether or not they lived under the same roof as the respondent – between home office workers and those who went to work, the number of encounters with non-relatives was significantly higher among non-home office workers. The difference was mainly due to workplace contacts. This suggests that those working from home were protected from the risk of social isolation by their emotionally and physically close relationships. These results further support the finding that, in a crisis situation, the security provided by family ties is particularly valued and strong bonds are essential for the individual.

Motives for Social Isolation Following a Negative Emotional Episode

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-131
Author(s):  
Gérald Delelis ◽  
Véronique Christophe
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Affiliation ◽  
Semantic Categorization ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Cognitive Regulation ◽  
Emotional Event ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
Emotional Events

Abstract. After experiencing an emotional event, people either seek out others’ presence (social affiliation) or avoid others’ presence (social isolation). The determinants and effects of social affiliation are now well-known, but social psychologists have not yet thoroughly studied social isolation. This study aims to ascertain which motives and corresponding regulation strategies participants report for social isolation following negative emotional events. A group of 96 participants retrieved from memory an actual negative event that led them to temporarily socially isolate themselves and freely listed up to 10 motives for social isolation. Through semantic categorization of the 423 motives reported by the participants, we found that “cognitive clarification” and “keeping one’s distance” – that is, the need for cognitive regulation and the refusal of socioaffective regulation, respectively – were the most commonly and quickly reported motives for social isolation. We discuss the findings in terms of ideas for future studies aimed at clarifying the role of social isolation in health situations.

The Need to Belong and the Relationship Between Loneliness and Health

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 194-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freda-Marie Hartung ◽  
Britta Renner
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Health State ◽  
Need To Belong ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Perceived Social Isolation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Humans are social animals; consequently, a lack of social ties affects individuals’ health negatively. However, the desire to belong differs between individuals, raising the question of whether individual differences in the need to belong moderate the impact of perceived social isolation on health. In the present study, 77 first-year university students rated their loneliness and health every 6 weeks for 18 weeks. Individual differences in the need to belong were found to moderate the relationship between loneliness and current health state. Specifically, lonely students with a high need to belong reported more days of illness than those with a low need to belong. In contrast, the strength of the need to belong had no effect on students who did not feel lonely. Thus, people who have a strong need to belong appear to suffer from loneliness and become ill more often, whereas people with a weak need to belong appear to stand loneliness better and are comparatively healthy. The study implies that social isolation does not impact all individuals identically; instead, the fit between the social situation and an individual’s need appears to be crucial for an individual’s functioning.

Searching Online for Methods of Suicide

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Christian Ulrich Eriksen ◽  
Flemming Konradsen ◽  
Thilde Vildekilde
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Online Content ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Methods Of Suicide

Abstract. Background: Information on methods of suicide is available online, and access to information on methods of suicide appears to contribute to a small but significant proportion of suicides. There is limited documentation of how methods of suicide are being profiled, as well as what content exists in other languages than English. Aim: We aimed to analyze and compare how methods of suicide are profiled on Danish and English-language websites. Method: We applied a categorization and content analysis of websites describing methods of suicide. Sites were retrieved by applying widely used Danish and English-language search terms. Results: A total of 136 English-language websites and 106 Danish-language websites were included for analysis. Websites were more often categorized as prevention or support sites, academic or policy sites, and against suicide sites than dedicated suicide sites (i.e., pro-suicide sites), or information sites. However, information on methods of suicide was available, and 20.1% and 8.9% of the English and Danish-language sites, respectively, suggested that a particular method of suicide was quick, easy, painless, or certain to result in death. Limitations: Only one author coded and analyzed all websites. A further operationalization of the content analysis checklist is warranted to increase reliability. Conclusion: The websites primarily had a prevention or anti-suicide focus, but information on methods of suicide was available, requiring an increased focus on how to diminish the negative effects of harmful online content.

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