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How to Cope with Loneliness when Working from Home: A netnographic study of coping strategies connected to loneliness in remote working

Abrahamsson, Hanna LU ; Lindow, Karin LU and Norberg, Tycho LU (2025) PSYK12 20251
Department of Psychology
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic created a significant and ongoing rise in remote work, which, despite its benefits, has amplified the challenge of loneliness for many remote employees. While previous research has largely examined organizational strategies to combat this issue, a gap remains in understanding the independent coping mechanisms employed by remote workers themselves. This study employed a netnographic approach to analyze discussions on the online discussion platform Reddit answer the question: What coping strategies do remote workers share in online forums to manage feelings of loneliness associated with working remotely? A total of 41 relevant posts comprising 1579 comments were extracted and through qualitative thematic analysis, five... (More)
The COVID-19 pandemic created a significant and ongoing rise in remote work, which, despite its benefits, has amplified the challenge of loneliness for many remote employees. While previous research has largely examined organizational strategies to combat this issue, a gap remains in understanding the independent coping mechanisms employed by remote workers themselves. This study employed a netnographic approach to analyze discussions on the online discussion platform Reddit answer the question: What coping strategies do remote workers share in online forums to manage feelings of loneliness associated with working remotely? A total of 41 relevant posts comprising 1579 comments were extracted and through qualitative thematic analysis, five themes were revealed: Social Contact, Pets, Self-Awareness, Distraction, and Routines. Of these five themes of coping strategies, social contact emerged as the most prominent, with its subthemes: Nurture Existing Relations, Build New Relations, and Being Around People. Applying Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) coping theory, this study indicates that remote workers relied predominantly on problem-focused coping, especially social support, while also employing emotion-focused strategies to manage loneliness. The study’s findings offer a deeper understanding of how remote workers manage loneliness, benefiting both employers and the remote workers themselves. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Coronapandemin ledde till en kraftig och varaktig ökning av distansarbete. Trots fördelar har det också förstärkt utmaningen med den ensamhet som ofta följer med att arbeta hemifrån. Tidigare forskning har främst fokuserat på organisatoriska strategier för att motverka detta, men kunskapen om hur distansarbetare själva hanterar känslor av ensamhet är fortfarande begränsad. Den här studien använder en netnografisk metod för att analysera inlägg från diskussionsforumet Reddit i syfte att besvara frågan: Vilka copingstrategier delar distansarbetare i onlineforum för att hantera ensamhet kopplad till distansarbete? Totalt analyserades 41 relevanta inlägg med sammanlagt 1579 kommentarer. Genom kvalitativ
tematisk analys identifierades fem... (More)
Coronapandemin ledde till en kraftig och varaktig ökning av distansarbete. Trots fördelar har det också förstärkt utmaningen med den ensamhet som ofta följer med att arbeta hemifrån. Tidigare forskning har främst fokuserat på organisatoriska strategier för att motverka detta, men kunskapen om hur distansarbetare själva hanterar känslor av ensamhet är fortfarande begränsad. Den här studien använder en netnografisk metod för att analysera inlägg från diskussionsforumet Reddit i syfte att besvara frågan: Vilka copingstrategier delar distansarbetare i onlineforum för att hantera ensamhet kopplad till distansarbete? Totalt analyserades 41 relevanta inlägg med sammanlagt 1579 kommentarer. Genom kvalitativ
tematisk analys identifierades fem återkommande teman: social kontakt, husdjur, självmedvetenhet, distraktion och rutiner. Av dessa framstod social kontakt som det mest framträdande, med sina tre subteman: att vårda befintliga relationer, skapa nya relationer samt att vara i närheten av andra människor. Med utgångspunkt i Lazarus och Folkmans (1984) copingteori indikerar studien att distansarbetare främst använder problemfokuserad coping, särskilt socialt stöd, men även emotionsfokuserade strategier för att hantera ensamhet. Studiens resultat ger en ökad insikt i hur distansarbetare hanterar ensamhet, något som kan vara till fördel för både arbetsgivare och distansarbetarna själva. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Abrahamsson, Hanna LU ; Lindow, Karin LU and Norberg, Tycho LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYK12 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Remote work, Loneliness, Coping, Netnography, Thematic analysis, Reddit, Distansarbete, ensamhet, netnografi, tematisk analys
language
English
id
9196457
date added to LUP
2025-06-16 09:27:23
date last changed
2025-06-16 09:27:23
@misc{9196457,
  abstract     = {{The COVID-19 pandemic created a significant and ongoing rise in remote work, which, despite its benefits, has amplified the challenge of loneliness for many remote employees. While previous research has largely examined organizational strategies to combat this issue, a gap remains in understanding the independent coping mechanisms employed by remote workers themselves. This study employed a netnographic approach to analyze discussions on the online discussion platform Reddit answer the question: What coping strategies do remote workers share in online forums to manage feelings of loneliness associated with working remotely? A total of 41 relevant posts comprising 1579 comments were extracted and through qualitative thematic analysis, five themes were revealed: Social Contact, Pets, Self-Awareness, Distraction, and Routines. Of these five themes of coping strategies, social contact emerged as the most prominent, with its subthemes: Nurture Existing Relations, Build New Relations, and Being Around People. Applying Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) coping theory, this study indicates that remote workers relied predominantly on problem-focused coping, especially social support, while also employing emotion-focused strategies to manage loneliness. The study’s findings offer a deeper understanding of how remote workers manage loneliness, benefiting both employers and the remote workers themselves.}},
  author       = {{Abrahamsson, Hanna and Lindow, Karin and Norberg, Tycho}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{How to Cope with Loneliness when Working from Home: A netnographic study of coping strategies connected to loneliness in remote working}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}