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Cited by 95Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchDisability Education and EmploymentDisability Rights and Representation

The workplace masking experiences of autistic, non-autistic, neurodivergent and neurotypical adults in the UK

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Pryke-Hobbes, Amber, Davies, Jade, Heasman, Brett, Livesey, Adam, Walker, Amy, Pellicano, Elizabeth, Remington, Anna·2023·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0290001PMC PMC10482295
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Abstract

Masking entails hiding or concealing one's traits during social interactions. Research suggests that masking is particularly common for autistic people, though many non-autistic people also conceal aspects of their identity. Existing research has identified the key motivations and consequences of masking. No research to date, however, has considered how this might be affected by the social context in which masking is employed. This study compared the masking experiences of 285 autistic, 88 non-autistic neurodivergent and 99 neurotypical adults within a context in which masking is expected to be highly prevalent, namely the workplace. We used reflexive thematic analysis to explore the motivations, consequences, and contextual differences of workplace masking compared to other social contexts. Workplace masking was considered by participants in all three groups to be an adaptive response to a range of socially grounded workplace challenges and was usually employed as a strategy to safeguard against the threat of negative social and employment outcomes. Our non-autistic neurodivergent and autistic participants, however, reported experiencing unique pressures to mask, given the limited understanding of neurodiversity in workplaces and society more broadly. These findings have important implications for the wider masking literature and for workplace practice.

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Authors
Pryke-Hobbes, A., Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A.
Affiliations
  • University College London (GB)
  • York St John University (GB)
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2023-09-06
Volume
18
Issue
9
Pages
e0290001
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0290001
PMC
PMC10482295
OpenAlex
W4386493375
Cited by
95
References
73
Citations by year
2026: 43 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 1
FWCI
14.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Research at York St John (York St John University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Autistica (7263)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Rights and Representation
Keywords
masking, autism spectrum disorder, neurodivergence, neurotypical adults, workplace, identity concealment, social environment, employment effects, workplace inclusion
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Autistic Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Social Environment, Stereotyping, Workplace, Young Adult, Social Stigma

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