EMPLOYER-LED VERSUS SELF-DIRECTED WORK: MOTIVATION, BURNOUT AND WELLBEING IN ADULTS WITH ADHD

Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience persistent difficulties with executive functioning and motivational regulation that can make sustained occupational engagement cognitively demanding. Although work-related burnout and reduced wellbeing are frequently reported in adults with ADHD, existing research has largely focused on symptom severity or employment outcomes, with limited attention to how different work environments may impose distinct self-regulatory demands. Work environments vary in their degree of external structure and autonomy, potentially shifting the balance between externally scaffolded regulation and internally sustained cognitive control, differences that may be particularly salient for individuals with ADHD.
The present study therefore aims to investigate how traditional employer-led work versus self-directed work relates to motivation, burnout, and wellbeing in adults with ADHD. It is hypothesised that differences in work environment structure will be associated with differences in burnout and wellbeing, and that these relationships will be partially explained by variation in perceived autonomy and motivational regulation.
Using a cross-sectional design, adults aged 25–45 with a clinician-confirmed ADHD diagnosis and engaged in full-time work will complete an online survey assessing ADHD symptom severity, perceived autonomy, motivational regulation, burnout, and wellbeing. Group comparisons will be conducted between work environments, followed by regression and exploratory mediation analyses to examine whether perceived autonomy and motivational regulation statistically explain associations between work environment, burnout, and wellbeing. This study aims to advance understanding of environment-dependent functioning in adult ADHD and inform neurocognitively grounded approaches to workplace design and occupational support.