Autistic and neurodivergent people feel under pressure to hide their true self at work

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-09-07 04:00

International

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Autistic workers and those who are neurodivergent feel under pressure to conceal their true selves at work, at a cost to their mental health, according to international research. The team surveyed 285 autistic, 88 non-autistic neurodivergent, and 99 neurotypical adults about their experiences with 'masking' in the workplace - concealing one's traits during social interactions, usually to avoid judgement by others. The researchers say masking is common for both neurodivergent and neurotypical people to some extent at work, however autistic and neurodivergent workers faced unique pressures - such as suppressing stimming behaviours or sensory issues - which can be exhausting and take a toll on their mental health.

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Journal/
conference: PLOS ONE

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University College London, UK

Funder: The present study was funded by an Autistica research grant (REF: 7263) to AR and BH (https://www.autistica.org.uk/). Research at the UCL Centre for Research in Autism and Education is supported by Pears Foundation (https://pearsfoundation.org.uk/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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