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. 2023 Feb;71(2):58-67.
doi: 10.1177/21650799221119155. Epub 2022 Nov 16.

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

Maria Rosaria Gualano  1 , Paolo Emilio Santoro  2 , Ivan Borrelli  3 , Maria Francesca Rossi  3 , Carlotta Amantea  3 , Alessandra Daniele  3 , Umberto Moscato  2   3
Affiliations

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

Maria Rosaria Gualano et al. Workplace Health Saf. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Many workers shifted to working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This review aims to investigate if this sudden change caused an increase in TElewoRk-RelAted stress (TERRA) which is defined as physical and mental stress caused by telework.

Methods: A systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was performed of three scientific databases (PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus), which also included a quality assessment. Articles measuring stress, psychological or physical, in remote workers, published from December 2019 through August 2021 were included in the review. Results were extracted by reporting: authors, country, study design, type of workers, sample, questionnaires and measurements, and outcomes. Data were synthesized quantitatively for country, type of workers, and outcomes.

Results: Out of the 518 articles found in the three databases, 19 articles were included in the systematic review (10,012 participants overall), and 78.9% of these highlighted an increase in TERRA levels in remote workers. Among 85.7% of the studies considering gender as a variable, TERRA levels were higher in female workers. Twelve (63.2%) of the studies investigated psychological well-being, two (10.5%) focused on the physical well-being of remote workers, three (15.8%) investigated both, and two studies had other outcomes (10.5%).

Conclusions: Considering the redefinition of workplaces dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this review highlights the emerging issue of remote work and the use of technology in working from home, emphasizing a rapidly growing occupational health problem. Remote workers need to be provided with emotional and technical support to prevent TERRA in remote workers.

Keywords: COVID-19; job stress; occupational health; remote work; technostress; telework; working from home.

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Conflict of interest statement

M. R. G. and P. E. S. conceived the idea; M. R. G., M. F. R., C. A., and A. D. selected the articles; M. R. G. and M. F. R. led the writing; M. R. G., P. E. S., I. B., and U. M. revised and structured the manuscript; U. M. supervised the study.

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flowchart of the inclusion process. Note. PRISMA = Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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