Brouwers Evelien P M, Bergijk Michel, van Weeghel Jaap, Detaille Sarah, Kerkhof Hanneke, Dewinter Jeroen
Tranzo Scientific Center for Care and Wellbeing, Tilburg School for Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Research Department Human Capital Innovations, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
J Occup Rehabil. 2025 Mar;35(1):54-65. doi: 10.1007/s10926-024-10181-3. Epub 2024 Apr 3.
The aim of the study was to gain more insight into barriers to and facilitators for finding and keeping competitive employment for autistic adults. Research questions were: (1) What barriers and facilitators do autistic adults report in finding and keeping competitive employment?; and (2) What are differences and similarities between autistic adults with and without paid employment regarding barriers and facilitators for sustainable employment?
Eight focus groups were conducted (N = 64 autistic adults). Four groups included only participants without paid employment (N = 24), and four groups consisted exclusively of participants with current paid employment (including part-time, N = 40). All discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim to enable inductive thematic content analysis. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti 9.
Ten themes and thirty-four subthemes were found. Many were interconnected. Themes facilitating sustainable employment included a positive workplace atmosphere, a supportive supervisor, being able to do work that aligns with interests and talents, favorable physical working conditions, coaching, higher self-insight, higher self-esteem, and proactivity. Most themes and subthemes emerged from both groups. Differences between the groups were that those with paid employment seemed to have experienced more friendly workplaces and supervisors, had received better coaching in finding and keeping employment, had higher self-insight and higher self-esteem, were more assertive and proactive.
As many (sub-)themes were interrelated, the results suggest that to improve work participation, particularly two key areas are promising: (1) to realize more friendly, well-being oriented and inclusive workplaces, and (2) to increase autistic adults' self-insight into personal needs for positive wellbeing and self-knowledge regarding talents, wishes and well-being boundaries.
本研究旨在更深入地了解自闭症成年人在寻找和维持竞争性就业方面的障碍与促进因素。研究问题如下：（1）自闭症成年人在寻找和维持竞争性就业方面报告了哪些障碍与促进因素？（2）有带薪工作和无带薪工作的自闭症成年人在可持续就业的障碍与促进因素方面有哪些异同？
开展了8个焦点小组（共64名自闭症成年人）。其中4个小组仅包括无带薪工作的参与者（24人），另外4个小组则完全由目前有带薪工作的参与者组成（包括兼职，共40人）。所有讨论均进行了录音并逐字转录，以便进行归纳性主题内容分析。使用ATLAS.ti 9对数据进行分析。
共发现10个主题和34个子主题。许多主题相互关联。促进可持续就业的主题包括积极的工作氛围、支持性的主管、能够从事与兴趣和才能相符的工作、良好的身体工作条件、指导、更高的自我认知、更高的自尊以及主动性。大多数主题和子主题在两组中都有出现。两组之间的差异在于，有带薪工作的人似乎经历过更友好的工作场所和主管，在寻找和维持工作方面得到了更好的指导，有更高的自我认知和更高的自尊，更自信且更主动。
由于许多（子）主题相互关联，结果表明，为了提高工作参与度，特别是两个关键领域很有前景：（1）实现更友好、注重福祉且包容的工作场所；（2）增强自闭症成年人对自身积极福祉个人需求的自我认知，以及对自身才能、愿望和福祉边界的自我了解。
