Employees who have ADHD and/or autism frequently encounter difficulties in their workplace and with their health. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research focusing on nurses who have ADHD and/or autism, even though the nursing profession presents various significant organizational and social challenges that may potentially have an impact on nurses with ADHD and/or autism.
Objective
The aim of the present study was to describe and examine associations between work environment, perceived health and satisfaction with given care among nurses who have ADHD and/or autism.
Methods
Recruitment of participants took place through Swedish social media groups, and data collection was carried out via a web-based questionnaire. A total of 99 nurses who self-reported a diagnosis of ADHD and/or autism were included in the study. Descriptive statistics, binary correlations and linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data.
Results
The nurses reported high quantitative demands at work, low sense of social community and managerial social support, low perceived health and high satisfaction with given care. Regarding associations between variables, nurses with more inattention (ADHD trait) reported higher quantitative demands at work, and nurses with more social anxiety (autistic trait) reported lower perceived health.
Conclusions
Among nurses with ADHD and/or autism, the organizational and social work environment and health are challenging, and these challenges seem to be partly connected to the ADHD and autistic traits. However, patient care was perceived to work well. More research is needed to evaluate how the perceived health of nurses with ADHD/autism can be improved.
BlackburnB. Managing neurodiversity in workplaces. Occup Med (Lond)2023; 73: 57–58.
2.
FrawleyTGavinBValeurC,et al.Enhancing the nursing profession’s awareness of neurodiversity. J Clin Nurs2024; 33: 419–421. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16902.
3.
HedlundÅ. Autistic nurses: do they exist?Br J Nurs2023; 32: 210–214.
4.
ZeidanJFombonneEScorahJ, et al.Global prevalence of autism: a systematic review update. Autism Res2022; 15: 778–790.
5.
WangJMaBWangJ, et al.Global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder and its gastrointestinal symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychiatry2022; 13: 963102.
6.
SongPZhaMYangQ, et al.The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Heal2021; 11: 04009.
HoursCRecasensCBaleyteJ. ASD And ADHD comorbidity: what are we talking about?Front Psychiatry2022; 13: 837424.
9.
RustingR. Decoding the overlap between autism and ADHD. Sci Am2018.
10.
LeaderGMooreRChenJL, et al.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, comorbid psychopathology, behaviour problems and gastrointestinal symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Ir J Psychol Med2022; 39: 240–250.
11.
HongJSSinghVKalbL. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in young children with autism Spectrum disorder. Autism Res2021; 14: 182–192.
12.
OkyarEGörkerI. Examining the autistic traits in children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and their parents. BMC Psychiatry2020; 20: 285.
13.
KotteAJoshiGFriedR, et al.Autistic traits in children with and without ADHD. Pediatrics2013; 132: e612–e622.
BuckTRViskochilJFarleyM, et al.Psychiatric comorbidity and medication use in adults with autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord2014; 44: 3063–3071.
20.
Piñeiro-DieguezBBalanzá-MartínezVGarcía-GarcíaP,et al.CSG. Psychiatric comorbidity at the time of diagnosis in adults with ADHD: the CAT study. J Atten Disord2016; 20: 1066–1075.
21.
PanPYBölteS. The association between ADHD and physical health: a co-twin control study. Sci Rep2020; 10: 22388.
22.
CroenLAZerboOQianY, et al.The health status of adults on the autism spectrum. Autism2015; 19: 814–823.
23.
DaviesJHeasmanBLiveseyA, et al.Autistic adults’ views and experiences of requesting and receiving workplace adjustments in the UK. PLoS One2022; 17: e0272420.
24.
KhalifaGSharifZSultanM,et al.Workplace accommodations for adults with autism spectrum disorder: a scoping review. Disabil Rehabil2020; 42: 1316–1331.
25.
PfeifferBBraunKKinnealeyM, et al.Environmental factors impacting work satisfaction and performance for adults with autism spectrum disorders. J Vocat Rehabil2017; 47: 1–12.
26.
SarkisE. Addressing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the workplace. Postgr Med2014; 126: 25–30.
FuermaierABMTuchaLButzbachM, et al.ADHD At the workplace: ADHD symptoms, diagnostic status, and work-related functioning. J Neural Transm (Vienna)2021; 128: 1021–1031.
29.
GrandinTPanekR. The autistic brain, Thinking across the spectrum. New York: Ebury Press, 2014.
30.
WhiteHShahP. Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pers Individ Dif2011; 50: 673–677.
31.
OscarssonMNelsonMRozentalA, et al.Stress and work-related mental illness among working adults with ADHD: a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry2022; 22: 751.
32.
BurySMHedleyDUljarevićM,et al.The autism advantage at work: a critical and systematic review of current evidence. Res Dev Disabil2020; 105: 103750.
33.
International Council of Nurses. The global voice of nursing [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.icn.ch/. 2023.
PolitDBeckC. Nursing research. Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice. 11th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health, 2020.
38.
BerthelsenHWesterlundHBergströmG,et al.Validation of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire version III and establishment of benchmarks for psychosocial risk management in Sweden. Int J Env Res Public Heal2020; 17: 31–79.
39.
WangMTMuntzAWolffsohnJS,et al.Association between dry eye disease, self-perceived health status, and self-reported psychological stress burden. Clin Exp Optom2021; 104: 835–840.
40.
PalladinoRTayu LeeJAshworthM, et al.Associations between multimorbidity, healthcare utilisation and health status: evidence from 16 European countries. Age Ageing2016; 45: 431–435.
41.
Malagón-AguileraMCSuñer-SolerRBonmatí-TomasA, et al.Dispositional optimism, burnout and their relationship with self-reported health Status among nurses working in long-term healthcare centers. Int J Env Res Public Heal2020; 17: 4918.
42.
MårtenssonGCarlssonMLampicC. Is nurse-patient agreement of importance to cancer nurses’ satisfaction with care?J Adv Nurs2010; 66: 573–582.
43.
KaltenbrunnerMBengtssonLMathiassenSE, et al.Staff perception of lean, care-giving, thriving and exhaustion: a longitudinal study in primary care. BMC Heal Serv Res2019; 19: 652.
44.
LundinAKosidouKDalmanC. Testing the discriminant and convergent validity of the world health organization six-item adult ADHD self-report scale screener using the Stockholm public health cohort. J Atten Disord2019; 23: 1170–1177.
45.
ErikssonJMAndersenLMBejerotS. RAADS-14 Screen: validity of a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in an adult psychiatric population. Mol Autism2013; 4: 49.
46.
IBM Corp. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp, 2020.
47.
PallantJ. SPSS Survival Manual. 6th ed. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: Open University Press, 2016.
48.
JoosenMCWLugtenbergMArendsI, et al.Barriers and facilitators for return to work from the perspective of workers with common mental disorders with short, Medium and long-term sickness absence: a longitudinal qualitative study. J Occup Rehabil2022; 32: 272–283.
49.
CombsMACanuWHBroman-FulksJJ, et al.Perceived stress and ADHD symptoms in adults. J Atten Disord2015; 19: 425–434.
50.
LauderKMcDowallATenenbaumH. A systematic review of interventions to support adults with ADHD at work-implications from the paucity of context-specific research for theory and practice. Front Psychol2022; 13: 893469.
51.
KoehlerTOldsD. Generational differences in Nurses’ intention to leave. West J Nurs Res2022; 44: 446–455.
52.
TomczakMTMpofuEHutsonN. Remote work support needs of employees with autism Spectrum disorder in Poland: perspectives of individuals with autism and their coworkers. Int J Env Res Public Heal2022; 19: 10982.
53.
UlhassanWvon Thiele SchwarzUThorJ,et al.Interactions between lean management and the psychosocial work environment in a hospital setting - a multi-method study. BMC Heal Serv Res2014; 14: 480. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-480
54.
SchreuerNDorotR. Experiences of employed women with attention deficit hyperactive disorder: a phenomenological study. Work2017; 56: 429–441.
55.
DienerMLWrightCATaylorC, et al.Dual perspectives in autism spectrum disorders and employment: toward a better fit in the workplace. Work2020; 67: 223–237.
