■即使与其他残疾群体相比,自闭症成年人也明显失业或就业不足。就业是一个社会决定因素,当满意时,密切影响与健康相关的生活质量。对于自闭症成年人来说,运输的环境障碍会影响就业能力,导致就业机会有限。这项研究对交通使用与就业状况之间的关系进行了更深入的研究。
■检查就业和失业的自闭症成年人对不同类型的交通工具的使用以及公共交通的障碍。
■数据来自2017年5月至2018年6月之间使用宾夕法尼亚州自闭症需求评估(PANA)进行的一项大型全州研究,其中有关就业和交通使用的信息是从宾夕法尼亚州居民的自闭症成年人那里获得的。研究样本包括1120名自闭症成年人(Mage=28.03岁,标准差=9.84;70%男性;82%非西班牙裔白人)。
■受雇的参与者比失业者更有可能开车(45%与21%,p<0.001),而他们不太可能乘坐其他人的游乐设施(62%vs.75%,p<0.001)或使用服务运输(11%与18%,p=0.001)。对于公共交通的障碍,结果表明,就业参与者报告的公共交通障碍比失业参与者少,影响大小小(1.98vs.2.54,d=0.22)。
■雇佣自闭症成年人锻炼更多的交通独立性。失业的自闭症成年人报告更多的参与障碍和较低的独立使用公共交通的能力。未来的交通和就业研究是必要的。
为什么这是一个重要问题?就业对收入很重要,生活质量,以及获得一个人需要的支持或服务的能力。与神经典型的成年人和其他残疾人相比,自闭症成年人更有可能失业或就业不足。在社区中参与成人活动有许多环境障碍,但是交通问题是主要障碍。在以前的研究中,大量自闭症成年人(72%)报告说,由于缺乏交通工具,他们错过了一些理想的活动。重要的是要了解交通和就业之间的关系,以了解如何克服障碍并改善想要工作的自闭症成年人的就业选择。这项研究的目的是什么?这项研究的目的是研究交通和就业状况(即,就业或失业)。具体来说,这项研究比较了受雇的自闭症成年人和失业者使用的交通类型和感知的交通障碍。研究人员做了什么?通过一项全州范围的大型调查,从1120名自闭症成年人那里收集了信息,其中包括有关就业和交通的问题。比较了受雇和未受雇的自闭症成年人的信息。这项研究的结果是什么?这项比较的结果表明,受雇的参与者更有可能自己开车,而不太可能从其他人那里乘车或使用服务交通工具。那些受雇的人也报告说公共交通障碍较少。障碍如犯罪,计划一次旅行,其他乘客的待遇,成本,关于如何使用公共交通的知识,感觉超负荷被更多的人发现失业的人比被雇佣的人。这些发现将如何帮助现在或将来的自闭症成年人?该研究确定了失业的自闭症成年人的交通障碍。这些信息可以帮助指导支持和政策,以减少就业所需的旅行障碍。此外,这项研究的结果可以帮助指导未来的研究,以开发或确定自闭症成年人上班旅行所需的交通技能。
UNASSIGNED: Autistic adults are significantly unemployed or underemployed even compared with other disability groups. Employment is a social determinant that, when satisfied, closely influences health-related quality of life. For autistic adults, environmental barriers to transportation can impact the ability to get to employment resulting in limited employment opportunities. This study provides a closer examination of the association between
transportation use and employment status.
UNASSIGNED: To examine the use of different types of transportation and barriers to public transit by employed and unemployed autistic adults.
UNASSIGNED: The data were from a large statewide study conducted between May 2017 and June 2018 using the Pennsylvania Autism Needs Assessment (PANA), in which information about employment and transportation use was obtained from autistic adults who were residents of Pennsylvania. The study sample included 1120 autistic adults (Mage = 28.03 years, standard deviation = 9.84; 70% men; 82% non-Hispanic White).
UNASSIGNED: Participants who were employed were more likely to drive themselves than those who were unemployed (45% vs. 21%, p < 0.001), while they were less likely to take rides from others (62% vs. 75%, p < 0.001) or use service transportation (11% vs. 18%, p = 0.001). For barriers to public transit, the results identified that employed participants reported fewer barriers to public transportation than unemployed participants with a small effect size (1.98 vs. 2.54, d = 0.22).
UNASSIGNED: Employed autistic adults exercise more
transportation independence. Unemployed autistic adults report more barriers to participation and lower ability to independently use public transportation. Future
transportation and employment studies are necessary.
Why is this an important issue? Employment is important for income, quality of life, and the ability to get the supports or services a person needs. Autistic adults are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed when compared with neurotypical adults and people with other disabilities. There are many environmental barriers to participating in adult activities in the community, but issues with transportation are a primary barrier. In previous research, a high number of autistic adults (72%) reported that they had missed some of their desired activities due to lack of transportation. It is important to understand the relationship between transportation and employment to know how to overcome barriers and improve employment options for autistic adults who want to work. What was the purpose of this research? The purpose of this research was to look at transportation and employment status (i.e., employed or unemployed). Specifically, this study compared types of
transportation used and perceived barriers to
transportation between autistic adults who were employed and those who were unemployed. What did the researchers do? Information was collected from 1120 autistic adults through a large statewide survey, which included questions about employment and transportation. Information from autistic adults who were employed and those who were not employed was compared. What were the results of the study? Results of this comparison showed that participants who were employed were more likely to drive themselves and less likely to take rides from other people or to use service transportation. Those who were employed also reported fewer barriers to public
transportation. Barriers such as crime, planning a trip, treatment by fellow passengers, cost, knowledge on how to use public transportation, and sensory overload were identified by more people who were unemployed than by people who were employed. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? The study identified specific barriers to transportation for autistic adults who are unemployed. This information can help to guide supports and policies to reduce barriers for travel needed for employment. In addition, results of this study can help guide future research to develop or identify the transportation skills needed for travel to work for autistic adults.