Cited by 339Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchFamily and Disability Support ResearchAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 65 of the 65 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Is social camouflaging associated with anxiety and depression in autistic adults?

Open access
Hull, Laura, Levy, Lily, Lai, Meng-Chuan, Petrides, K. V., Baron-Cohen, Simon, Allison, Carrie, Smith, Paula, Mandy, Will·2021·Molecular Autism

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is inconsistent evidence for a clear pattern of association between 'camouflaging' (strategies used to mask and/or compensate for autism characteristics during social interactions) and mental health. METHODS: This study explored the relationship between self-reported camouflaging and generalised anxiety, depression, and social anxiety in a large sample of autistic adults and, for the first time, explored the moderating effect of gender, in an online survey. RESULTS: Overall, camouflaging was associated with greater symptoms of generalised anxiety, depression, and social anxiety, although only to a small extent beyond the contribution of autistic traits and age. Camouflaging more strongly predicted generalised and social anxiety than depression. No interaction between camouflaging and gender was found. LIMITATIONS: These results cannot be generalised to autistic people with intellectual disability, or autistic children and young people. The sample did not include sufficient numbers of non-binary people to run separate analyses; therefore, it is possible that camouflaging impacts mental health differently in this population. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that camouflaging is a risk factor for mental health problems in autistic adults without intellectual disability, regardless of gender. We also identified levels of camouflaging at which risk of mental health problems is highest, suggesting clinicians should be particularly aware of mental health problems in those who score at or above these levels.

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Cusack J, Sterry R. Your questions: shaping future autism research. London: Autistica; 2016.

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Metadata

Authors
Hull, L., Levy, L., Lai, M.-C., Petrides, K. V., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Mandy, W.
Affiliations
  • University College London (GB)
  • Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
Venue
Molecular Autism
Published
2021-02-16
Volume
12
Issue
1
Pages
13-13
ISSN
2040-2392 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3132619758
Cited by
337
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 69 · 2025: 74 · 2024: 81 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 19
FWCI
25.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecular Autism (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Apollo (cc-by)
Funders
  • Medical Research Council (RG46450)
  • Wellcome Trust (RG58828)
  • Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (777394)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
social camouflaging, autism spectrum disorder, autistic adults, anxiety, depression, social anxiety, mental health, gender differences, autistic traits, masking, intellectual disability
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anxiety, Autistic Disorder, Depression, Disease Susceptibility, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Behavior, Young Adult, Self Report, Public Health Surveillance

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