Self-esteem and coping styles: Preliminary findings in a sample of autistic employees

Many autistic people experience high levels of stress. The strategies autistic individuals use to manage stress (coping) can influence quality of life (QoL) and may be linked to burnout symptoms. This study explores the role of coping styles, QoL and burnout symptoms for autistic employees. Additionally, this study explores the role of self-esteem in autistic employees and how self-esteem connects to measures of QoL in this sample. We aim (1) to identify factors that are connected to QoL and burnout symptoms for autistic employees, and (2) to understand the correlates of coping strategies, QoL and burnout symptoms. We conducted a two-wave online survey with autistic adults in employment (T1: 75 participants and, six months later, T2: 31 participants). Correlative analyses, linear regression analyses, and exploratory, structural equation modelling were used to identify key factors connected to coping styles, burnout symptoms, and QoL while controlling for perceived autism severity, anxiety and depression, age, and gender. Self-esteem was negatively associated with disengagement coping and positively to quality of life. Disengagement coping styles were linked to lower QoL and higher burnout symptoms. While preliminary, our findings emphasize the importance of strengthening person-centered capabilities such as coping flexibility that may increase QoL and can reduce burnout symptoms and stress for autistic employees. Future research should incorporate longer time intervals, allowing for the modelling of inter- and intraindividual changes of coping behavior, quality of life, stress and burnout for autistic employees.