What is the Meaning of Paid Employment for Well-Being? A Focus Group Study on Differences and Similarities Between Autistic Adults With and Without Employment.
Evelien P M Brouwers, Michel Bergijk, Jaap van Weeghel and 2 others
PMID 37749451WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults said paid work can support well-being through recognition, purpose, contact, structure and income, but also said work can cause burnout.
Not having paid work was linked to shame and exclusion; disability benefits brought relief but also fear of losing them.
Key findings
01Without paid employment, participants described lacking societal recognition and low self-esteem, even when doing volunteer work.
02Both employed and unemployed participants reported that work can seriously damage health, including high stress and burnout.
03Most participants described paid employment as important for well-being, naming meaningfulness, social contacts, personal growth, structure and income.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was convenience-based and narrow: all participants were Dutch Caucasian, and 39 of 64 had an (applied) university degree. Twenty-seven people declined after more information, with reasons including travel cost or energy, no interest, unavailable times, or not showing up. No member check was done, so participants did not confirm the transcribed words or themes. Participants were grouped only by employment status at the time, not by employment history or current work well-being. The topic list was not pilot tested, and only the first 30 to 60 minutes of two-hour meetings were used for this study. People who value paid employment may have been more likely to take part. The word 'meaning' may have drawn more positive reflections, so the benefits theme had five subthemes while other themes had none. Limited information was collected on the types of employment participants held.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that paid employment will improve well-being for autistic adults. This is a focus group study of meanings, not a test of whether employment causes well-being, and participants also reported that work can cause burnout and damage health.