The study found that commuting time adversely affected men’s mental health, with a 10-minute increase in one-way commuting time linked to a 0.01 standard deviation decline in mental health scores among men with poorer mental health. Women’s mental health showed no significant effect from longer commuting times.
Researchers noted that average one-way commuting times during the study period were 27.2 minutes for women and 30.5 minutes for men, higher than comparable figures in the United Kingdom.
The mental health benefits of working from home appeared to be independent of reduced commuting time, suggesting remote work provides value beyond eliminating travel. The study found that working 50% to 75% from home increased mental health scores by 0.2 standard deviations among women in the lower range of the mental health distribution.
Lead researcher Ferdi Botha and colleagues used panel data models with fixed effects to isolate the impacts of commuting and working arrangements from other life changes. The analysis excluded the COVID-19 pandemic period to avoid confounding factors.
“Our findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions and support for individuals who are dealing with mental health problems,” the researchers wrote.