TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex differences in employment and supports for adults with autism spectrum disorder
AU - Taylor, Julie Lounds
AU - Smith DaWalt, Leann
AU - Marvin, Alison R.
AU - Law, J. Kiely
AU - Lipkin, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (R03 MH112783, PIs: DaWalt & Taylor) with core support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54 HD083211, PI: Neul; U54 HD090256, PI: Messing). The Interactive Autism Network is a partnership project between the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Simons Foundation and receives funding from PCORI as a Patient-Powered Research Network in PCORnet.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2019/10/1
Y1 - 2019/10/1
N2 - This study explored sex differences in employment, reasons for unemployment, benefits, and supports among a large, international sample of adults with autism spectrum disorder. The sample included 443 adults with autism spectrum disorder (60% female; 74% residing in the United States) who consented to be part of an autism research registry and completed an Internet survey. Outcome variables included current employment status, number of hours working, number of jobs in the past 5 years, reasons for unemployment, as well as the number of benefits received and the amount of financial support currently being received from families of origin. Using multiple regression models, we found that males and females were working at similar rates. Females were more likely than males to say that their unemployment was a result of choosing to withdraw from the labor market. Similar percentages of males and females reported receiving some form of benefits or family support, but of those receiving benefits/family support, males received more than females. These results are consistent with other studies finding subtle, but potentially important sex differences in life-course outcomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
AB - This study explored sex differences in employment, reasons for unemployment, benefits, and supports among a large, international sample of adults with autism spectrum disorder. The sample included 443 adults with autism spectrum disorder (60% female; 74% residing in the United States) who consented to be part of an autism research registry and completed an Internet survey. Outcome variables included current employment status, number of hours working, number of jobs in the past 5 years, reasons for unemployment, as well as the number of benefits received and the amount of financial support currently being received from families of origin. Using multiple regression models, we found that males and females were working at similar rates. Females were more likely than males to say that their unemployment was a result of choosing to withdraw from the labor market. Similar percentages of males and females reported receiving some form of benefits or family support, but of those receiving benefits/family support, males received more than females. These results are consistent with other studies finding subtle, but potentially important sex differences in life-course outcomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
KW - adults
KW - autism spectrum disorders
KW - benefits
KW - sex differences
KW - vocational/labor force participation
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U2 - 10.1177/1362361319827417
DO - 10.1177/1362361319827417
M3 - Article
C2 - 30729799
AN - SCOPUS:85061601972
SN - 1362-3613
VL - 23
SP - 1711
EP - 1719
JO - Autism
JF - Autism
IS - 7
ER -