Attitudes to Interpersonal Touch in the Workplace in Autistic and non-Autistic Groups.

This study looked at how autistic and non-autistic adults feel about physical touch at work. Autistic workers had more negative feelings about touch in general and at work, and felt lonelier with lower wellbeing. The researchers found that different things affected wellbeing for each group - anxiety about relationships mattered most for autistic workers, while attitudes about touch mattered more for non-autistic workers. The study suggests these differences might affect employment opportunities for autistic people.

This study examined attitudes toward interpersonal touch in workplace settings among employed autistic and non-autistic adults. Researchers analyzed data from an online survey called the Touch Test, comparing groups on attitudes to general, social, and workplace touch, as well as loneliness and wellbeing measures. Employed autistic participants demonstrated more negative attitudes toward all forms of touch compared to non-autistic participants, and reported higher loneliness and reduced wellbeing. Different factors predicted wellbeing and loneliness between groups: attachment anxiety was the primary predictor for autistic participants' wellbeing, while multiple touch-related factors influenced non-autistic participants.

The study also confirmed higher unemployment rates among autistic individuals and suggests that touch-related differences may contribute to workplace challenges.

Findings suggest workplace accommodations should consider physical contact preferences for autistic employees. Mental health support addressing loneliness and attachment concerns may be beneficial. Touch-related workplace policies may need modification to be more inclusive of autistic workers' needs and preferences.

Sample size not reported, limiting assessment of statistical power. Study design unclear from abstract. Cross-sectional nature prevents causal inferences. Data drawn from larger survey may introduce selection bias. Preliminary investigation status suggests need for replication with more robust methodology.

Unemployment and underemployment have consistently been shown to be higher in autistic adults relative to non-autistic adults. This may be due, in part, to a lack of workplace accommodations being made for autistic people. One factor that may contribute to employment inequalities in autistic people is differences in attitudes towards interpersonal touch. This study acts as a preliminary investigation into whether employed autistic and non-autistic participants differ in their attitudes towards touch in the workplace, and in their loneliness and wellbeing.

The current dataset was drawn from a larger online survey (the Touch Test) designed to explore attitudes and experiences towards touch. We found that employed autistic participants had more negative attitudes to general, social and workplace touch relative to non-autistic participants. Autistic participants also experienced greater loneliness and reduced wellbeing. Attachment-related anxiety was the only significant predictor of wellbeing in employed autistic adults.

However, attachment-related anxiety, general attitudes to touch and the role of touch in the workplace predicted wellbeing in employed non-autistic adults. With regards to loneliness, general attitudes to touch and the role of touch in the workplace predicted loneliness in autistic participants. We also replicated the finding that a greater proportion of autistic participants were unemployed relative to non-autistic participants. Collectively, this research highlights the importance of considering touch in research investigating employment, and its impact on loneliness and wellbeing, in autistic participants.