Rental-Insights-A-COVID-19-Collection - Flipbook - Page 26
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RENTAL INSIGHTS:
ISOLATION AND
MENTAL HEALTH
ISOLATION AND MENTAL HEALTH
Carol T. Kulik
University of South Australia
Ruchi Sinha
University of South Australia
Renters experienced
loneliness working from
home
XXX during the pandemic
XXX
Key findings
Why is it important?
Who is most affected?
The COVID-19 pandemic
forced 46 per cent of
renters to work or study
remotely from their
homes. Across all living
arrangements, renters in
remote work/study were
vulnerable to loneliness
and isolation as a result
of COVID-19: 42 per cent
of renters in remote
work/study reported
heightened levels of
loneliness, compared
with 33 per cent of
renters not engaged in
remote work or study.
Loneliness is a painful and pernicious
emotion, and a large body of research
links loneliness to mental and physical
health. Loneliness’s association with
mortality and disease puts it in the
same risk factor category as smoking,
obesity and alcoholism.
Higher levels of loneliness were
reported by renters in single-person
or shared-living arrangements than
by renters living with family. Single
people are not necessarily less socially
connected than partnered people or
parents, but remote work/study had
a greater impact on single people’s
access to their social network. Renters
who lived with their partners or children
were better positioned to compensate
for the loss of work/school connections
by strengthening domestic relationships
(for example, using the flexibility of
remote work/study as an opportunity
to share family meals or spontaneously
play with children).
The findings from this survey highlight
the value of social connections at work
and in school. Small spontaneous
conversations with co-workers and
fellow students have positive effects
on people’s wellbeing. For example,
employees who participate in office
chit-chat experience more positive
emotions, go out of their way to help
co-workers, and end the workday in
a better frame of mind.
Without access to these social
connections, people experience
loneliness—putting their mental and
physical health at risk.
‘The lack of social contact was
challenging at times’
‘Been much more isolated
than usual…’
The findings from
this survey highlight
the value of social
connections at
work and in school.
Women in single-person living
arrangements were especially
susceptible to increased loneliness
when they worked/studied remotely.
Women usually report higher levels
of loneliness than men, and the
findings from this survey suggest
one explanation: Women may be
more dependent than men on the
relationships they develop at the
workplace and at school. Remote
work/study generates more taskfocused interactions than social
ones, making it difficult to maintain
friendships with work and school
colleagues.
‘Loss of social contact with
friends and family.’
‘I moved back to my parents’
place temporarily just for
company and comfort.’
