Abstract
This mixed-methods study examined longitudinal data, assessing Israeli autistic adults' employment-related changes, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the quantitative phase, 23 participants answered a survey before and during COVID-19, assessing work-status, mental health, and work-related psychological need satisfaction. The qualitative phase included interviews with ten employed participants. Results indicate a significant decrease in mental health of participants who lost their jobs during COVID-19, while participants who continued to physically attend work, maintained pre-COVID-19 levels on all assessed variables. Participants who transitioned to remote-work from home, showed a marginally significant deterioration in mental health and a significant decrease in satisfaction of work-related psychological needs for competence and autonomy. Qualitative accounts supplement these findings and portray advantages and disadvantages of remote-work.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 89-102 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | Feb 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study has been supported by graduate research grants to Yael Goldfarb from the Organization for Autism Research and the National Insurance Institute of Israel. We thank AQA and Gal College for their assistance with participant recruitment, and our participants for their continued willingness to take part in the study and share their valuable experiences.
Funding Information:
This study has been supported by graduate research grants to Yael Goldfarb from the Organization for Autism Research and the National Insurance Institute of Israel. We thank AQA and Gal College for their assistance with participant recruitment, and our participants for their continued willingness to take part in the study and share their valuable experiences.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature.
Keywords
- Autistic adults
- COVID-19
- Employment
- Self-determination theory
