1745-0179/22 Send Orders for Reprints to reprints@benthamscience.net 1 DOI: 10.2174/17450179-v18-e2208190, 2022, 18, e174501792208190 Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health Content list available at: https://clinical-practice-and-epidemiology-in-mental-health.com RESEARCH ARTICLE Use of Digital Technologies in Home Office Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lucio Lage Gonçalves 1,* , Antonio Egidio Nardi 1 , Hugo dos Santos 2 , Douglas Rodrigues 2 and Anna Lucia Spear King 1 1 Delete Lab. Digital Detox and Conscious Use of Technologies, Institute of Psychiatry IPUB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Av. Venceslau Bras 71, Botafogo - Rio de Janeiro, 22290 Brazil 2 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Institute of Statistics, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Abstract: Background: Social distancing as a preventive measure to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many people working from home, using online digital resources. Staying at home has led to the adaptation of many work activities to allow continuity of people´s jobs. It can also affect home routines and ways of working, thereby leading to changes in behavior, as the main interest of this study. Objective: The study aimed to assess the impact on human behavior of working conditions in home office format due to social distancing. Methods: Data collection was done online, using a specific computational tool (Google Forms) for this type of research, using the Home Office Work Scale (HOWS) validated and published in Mental Health and Addiction Research in 2021, with a total sample of 1,056 valid questionnaires. After the data collection, a database was created for statistical analysis of the results. Results: More women than men volunteered to answer the questionnaire, although the results were similar between women and men. Home office work has impacts on human behavior and results in changes in routines and adaptations in people´s personal and professional lives. Conclusion: Proportionally, more women participated, and there was low participation by young and elderly people. In general, people accepted home office work and the possibility of continuing to work in this format. Changes to routines and restrictive adaptations were necessary. The limitations reported for applying the scale did not compromise the results. Keywords: Home office, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pandemic, Human behavior, Social distancing. Article History Received: December 23, 2021 Revised: May 11, 2022 Accepted: June 3, 2022 1. INTRODUCTION Social distancing due to the novel coronavirus (SARS- CoV-2) pandemic has changed people`s routines. Staying at home has transformed behaviors in the consumption of products and services. Many people have had to adapt their practices, such as communicating virtually while staying at home, involving long hours connected to digital devices. * Address correspondence to this author at the Delete Lab. Digital Detox and Conscious Use of Technologies, Institute of Psychiatry IPUB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Av. Venceslau Bras 71, Botafogo - Rio de Janeiro, 22290 RJ Brazil; E-mail: luciolage@msn.com Social isolation tends to provoke psychological reactions such as increased levels of anxiety, stress, and irritability, the appearance of fears (based on real or subjective information), and confused thinking, negatively affecting the individual's ability to make coherent decisions [1, 2]. The impacts of social isolation on mental well-being are well known. Isolation and loneliness, among other behaviors and feelings, tend to affect individuals and those around them, and this is especially the case during the COVID-19 pandemic [3].