Autism diagnosis disclosure and workplace stigma's impact on professional self-esteem

¶ … Dark clouds or silver linings? A stigma threat perspective on the implications of an autism diagnosis for workplace well-being\" from the Journal of Applied Psychology by Johnson & Joshi (2016) deploys a qualitative perspective to better understand the types of real and perceived stigmas undergone by individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in the workplace. Whether the employee\'s diagnosis is known or unknown, colleagues may not know how to deal with the interpersonal challenges of working with or socially associating with someone with ASD.

The research topic was the challenges individuals with autism experienced in the workplace, as reported from the perspective of autistic individuals themselves.

Finding of the Literature Related to the Research Problem

The literature on autism has indicated that employment prospects are relatively bleak for individuals with this developmental disability. As many as forty percent of all autistic individuals struggle to find work which is \"a higher jobless rate than people with other developmental disabilities experience\" (Noguchi 2016). Some workers find ways to manage their disability while some employers are willing to provide additional accommodations for individuals suffering from the disorder to overcome employees\' social challenges (Noguchi 2016).

Research Problem and Research Questions

The central problem of the research was how autistic individuals experience discrimination and how this impacts their sense of professional competency at work. Specific questions revolved around the extent to which age at diagnosis, whether the condition was disclosed to employers on the job, the extent of social contact employees were forced to engage in to do the job, and the levels of organizational support affected perceived discrimination and professional (organizational) self-esteem.

The Contribution the Research Made to the Knowledge Base in Psychology

The research yielded some unexpected findings, namely that organizations with specific structures put into place to raise support and awareness for individuals with ASD actually resulted in late-diagnosis ASD employees experiencing lower self-esteem and reduced self-confidence. The reasons for this are unclear but one possible explanation is that of perceived or real stigmatization which current programs are ineffective in overcoming.

The Theoretical Framework used in the Research

The fundamental organizational philosophy shaping the research was a phenomenological one in which individuals in the workplace suffering from autism were allowed to speak for themselves. \"Phenomenology is a school of thought that emphasizes a focus on people\'s subjective experiences and interpretations of the world. That is, the phenomenologist wants to understand how the world appears to others\" (Trochim 2006).

The Contribution the Research Made to Psychological Theories