Nature visits buffered against loneliness during COVID-19, especially among those working mainly remotely. A population-based study of working adults in Sweden

• BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions posed challenges to people’s private and work lives. There was a rapid shift from on-site to remote working for many working adults in Sweden and internationally, while opportunities for in-person social and leisure activities indoors were limited. One challenge was thus the risk of increased loneliness and social isolation, especially among those working more remotely. In this context, nature visits may potentially mitigate loneliness. This study thus investigates whether a higher degree of remote work during COVID-19 was related to increased loneliness and whether nature visits mitigated loneliness, especially for those working mainly remotely, for which studies are limited.  MethodsThe sample comprised a subsample of respondents to the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health 2020 (n = 984). The effect of remote work, nature-related habits (NRH), and time on loneliness (before – during COVID-19) were analyzed using linear mixed models while controlling for confounders.ResultsIn general, loneliness levels during COVID-19 were highest and increased the most compared to before the pandemic among the most remotely working individuals. Engaging daily in NRH was associated with lower levels of loneliness, particularly among individuals mostly working remotely. This was observed in a three-way interaction effect between remote work, NRH, and time on loneliness.ConclusionDaily nature visits may protect against loneliness during and beyond crises like COVID-19, particularly for those working mainly remotely. Policies preserving and facilitating access to natural environments may be crucial for promoting resilience during and beyond crises like COVID-19.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Remote work

health-related behaviors

lifestyle

nature visits

loneliness

resilience

Epidemiology

epidemiologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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art (ämneskategori)