Occupational Balance and Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Four-Wave Panel Study on the Role of Daily Activities in Austria
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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among daily activities (paid work, childcare, caregiving, voluntary work, sports, and social contact), occupational balance, and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed data from the Austrian Corona Panel Project (four time points, 6-month period) using regression models with logarithmically transformed data and nonparametric repeated-measures tests (N = 871). Results: Results showed higher depressive symptoms among women. Family caregivers (either parents or those caring for other relatives) were at the highest risk for occupational imbalance and depressive symptoms. Sports and social contact were initially associated with better outcomes, but the effects waned. There was a main effect for time point driven by the last wave (amidst the second lockdown), but no significant interaction effects between predictors and time point were found. Conclusion: The results provide a nuanced depiction of the relationship between different daily activities and health-related outcomes during the pandemic, highlighting groups at risk.
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The increase in ICU admissions in the post-implementation group suggests that more severe cases required intensive care, possibly due to the application of stricter monitoring and care protocols for high-risk patients.
“The increase in ICU admissions in the post-implementation group suggests that more severe cases required intensive care, possibly due to the application of stricter monitoring and care protocols for high-risk patients (Doe and Lee 2023; Doe and Smith 2023; Smith and Johnson 2020).”
From Impact of risk mitigation strategies on non-fatal injuries in the construction sector in qatar: a retrospective analysis (2025) · cites this paper as Doe and Smith 2023
The Methods section describes an Austrian population survey measuring occupational balance and depressive symptoms, and the Results report changes in those outcomes across survey waves; neither section reports ICU admissions or a post-implementation patient group. Searches for ICU admissions and stricter monitoring or care protocols found no passage addressing the claim. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)
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Soubra, L., Al-Mohannadi, A., Berzan, Y., Consunji, R., El‑Menyar, A., Al‑Thani, H., Al-Marri, M. A., & Al-Hajri, H. S. (2025) · International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health · doi:10.1007/s00420-025-02126-x · Cited by 7 · see citing works
- Authors
- Ramos, R., Röschel, A., Crevenna, R., Jordakieva, G., Andrews, M. R., Dür, M., & Stamm, T.
- Affiliations
- Nanchang University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Stamm, Tanja
- Venue
- Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine
- Published
- 2022-06-21
- Volume
- 64
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 694-698
- ISSN
- 1076-2752 (ISSN-L)
- 1536-5948
- PMC
- PMC9377367
- OpenAlex
- W4283310788
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 1.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Therapy Practice and Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- occupational balance, depressive symptoms, COVID-19 pandemic, family caregivers, wage labor, child care, volunteering, sport, social contact, gender differences, lockdown
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, Austria, Communicable Disease Control, Depression, Female, Humans, Pandemics
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