The DOI matches its Crossref record; 43 of the 43 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
‘Masking is life’: experiences of masking in autistic and nonautistic adults
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Background: Autistic masking is an emerging research area, and so far, research has suggested that masking has a negative effect on autistic people. Masking relates to general social practices (such as identity management) and is often driven by stigma avoidance. Many nonautistic people also experience stigma that might drive them to suppress aspects of their identity. In this study, we investigate similarities and differences in experiences of masking in autistic and nonautistic people. Methods: = 45) recruited via social media. We used thematic analysis to analyze responses to open-ended items about masking, using an inductive approach, at a semantic level, with a critical realist paradigm. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that some aspects of masking are shared across autistic and nonautistic people, such as utilizing mimicry of others as a social strategy or feeling exhausted from masking. All groups reported that masking made them feel disconnected from their true sense of identity and had a negative effect on them. Other aspects of masking seemed more specific to autistic people, such as sensory suppression, and masking leading to suicidal ideation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that many aspects of masking are experienced across different neurotypes and are likely related to outside perceptions of difference and stigma. It is likely that what we call "autistic masking" is similar to other forms of stigma management previously theorized. Some aspects of masking do seem more specific to the autistic neurotype (e.g., suppression of stimming) and should be explored further to provide support for autistic people recovering from the negative impact of masking. Lay summary: ADHD as these things might affect their experiences.
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“Cumulative past experiences evoking feelings of threat and shame incentivise masking behaviour (e.g., suppressing stimming, forcing eye contact, copying others’ behaviours) which is increasingly recognised as a driver of poor mental health in neurodivergent people (Miller et al., 2021).”
From Compassionate pedagogy for neurodiversity in higher education: A conceptual analysis (2023) · cites this paper as Miller et al., 2021
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“Working from home (WFH) may also reduce the need for 'masking', i.e. the suppression of neuro-divergent traits and behaviours that may serve as a form of impression management [16] and can be exhausting and stressful [17].”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [17]
In the citing paper
“Previous research suggests neuro-divergent people feel pressure to 'mask' neuro-divergent traits and behaviours in the workplace, which can be exhausting [17].”
From Homeworking experiences of neuro-divergent workers: systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as [17]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Miller, D., Rees, J., & Pearson, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Sunderland (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Pearson, Amy
- Venue
- Autism in Adulthood
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-12-01
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 330-338
- ISSN
- 2573-9581 (ISSN-L)
- 2573-959X
- PMC
- PMC8992921
- OpenAlex
- W3162613655
- Semantic Scholar
- c199b3633b8dca595fb91b60bc84f77978b99a14
- Cited by
- 321
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 94 · 2025: 87 · 2024: 71 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 18.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Autism in Adulthood (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Sunderland Repository (University of Sunderland) (acceptedVersion)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Disability Rights and Representation
- Social Sciences › Education › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, stigma management, identity management, mimicry, sensory suppression, stimming, suicidal ideation, neurodiversity, stigma avoidance, autistic adults
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