Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2023

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Hannah Allen

Second Advisor

Sarah Bilsky

Third Advisor

Kayla Crook

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Problem: Mental health outcomes related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been extensively researched, although most research in the area is on children with ASD. Studies on adults with ASD are scarcer. More specifically, studies that analyze the association between mental health and work-life balance (WLB) as well as mental health and job satisfaction (JS) among employed adults with ASD is limited. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between mental health and WLB among adults with ASD, the association between mental health and perceived JS among adults with ASD, and whether or not ASD severity moderates these associations. Methods

Methods: A Qualtrics survey was distributed via online platforms and communication with organizations with a focus on ASD. A 3-item measure for work-life balance (Haar et al., 2014) and a 5-item measure for job satisfaction (Judge et al., 2005) were used. Anxiety and depression were assessed using sum scores of the General Anxiety Disorder-7 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. Additionally, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was used to assess the severity of ASD in participants (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). Data cleaning and analysis were performed using SPSS Statistics. Results

Results: Linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between the predictor variables (i.e., anxiety and depression) and the outcome variables (i.e., work/life balance and job satisfaction). All analyses controlled for age, sex, race, education, income, and number of hours worked weekly. There was a significant, negative association between depression and job satisfaction. No other significant associations were found. Linear regression models were run again after stratifying the sample by ASD severity. About 13% met the threshold for clinically significant ASD traits based on AQ score. A significant, negative association was found between depression and WLB among adults with clinically significant ASD traits. No other significant associations were found in the stratified sample. Implications/Conclusions

Implications/Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a negative link between depression and employment outcomes among adults living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. While depression was associated with decreased job satisfaction among adults with ASD, depression was associated with decreased work/life balance among adults with clinically significant ASD. Efforts to support mental health, employment opportunities, and job success among adults with ASD remain an important area of focus.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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