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 accessAbstract
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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“One relevant psychopathogenic mechanism of such comorbidities is social camouflaging, which is a common coping mechanism among autistic individuals that has been closely linked to the development of various comorbid symptoms (Hull et al., 2021).”
From Rethinking psychological interventions in autism: Toward a neurodiversity‐affirming approach. (2025) · cites this paper as Hull et al., 2021
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“While camouflaging may create an appearance of adaptation, it has been strongly linked to negative mental health outcomes, including heightened rates of depression and anxiety (Bernardin et al., 2021;Hull et al., 2021).”
From Rethinking psychological interventions in autism: Toward a neurodiversity‐affirming approach. (2025) · cites this paper as Hull et al., 2021
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Cites
The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure
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Lai, M.-C., Kassee, C., Besney, R., Bonato, S., Hull, L., Mandy, W., Szatmari, P., & Ameis, S. H. (2019) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(19)30289-5 · Cited by 1,892
Self-citation“Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions
Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M.-C., & Mandy, W. (2017) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5 · Cited by 1,365
Self-citationThe health status of adults on the autism spectrum
Croen, L. A., Zerbo, O., Qian, Y., Massolo, M. L., Rich, S., Sidney, S., & Kripke, C. (2015) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361315577517 · Cited by 1,110
Bargiela, S., Steward, R., & Mandy, W. (2016) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2872-8 · Cited by 1,087
Self-citationThe Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire
Hurley, R. S. E., Losh, M. C., Parlier, M., Reznick, J. S., & Piven, J. (2006) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0299-3 · Cited by 718
Quantifying and exploring camouflaging in men and women with autism
Lai, M.-C., Lombardo, M. V., Ruigrok, A. N., Chakrabarti, B., Auyeung, B., Szatmari, P., Happé, F., Baron-Cohen, S., & MRC AIMS Consortium (2017) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361316671012 · Cited by 705
Self-citation
Research works printed but not linked: 1
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Camouflaging in autism: A systematic review
Cook, J., Hull, L., Crane, L., & Mandy, W. (2021) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102080 · Cited by 554
Self-citationUnderstanding Stigma in Autism: A Narrative Review and Theoretical Model
Turnock, A., Langley, K., & Jones, C. R. G. (2022) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2021.0005 · Cited by 490
‘Masking is life’: experiences of masking in autistic and nonautistic adults
Miller, D., Rees, J., & Pearson, A. (2021) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2020.0083 · Cited by 321
Understanding Camouflaging as a Response to Autism-Related Stigma: A Social Identity Theory Approach
Perry, E., Mandy, W., Hull, L., & Cage, E. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-04987-w · Cited by 346
Self-citationSchuck, R. K., Tagavi, D. M., Baiden, K. M. P., Dwyer, P., Williams, Z. J., Osuna, A., Ferguson, E. F., Jimenez Muñoz, M., Poyser, S. K., Johnson, J. F., et al. (2022) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05316-x · Cited by 208
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)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Molecular Autism
- Published
- 2021-02-16
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 13-13
- ISSN
- 2040-2392 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7885456
- 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
- gold
- doi.org
- 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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