Examining an integrated path model of psychological and sociocultural predictors of camouflaging in autistic adults
Fear of being judged pushes autistic adults to hide traits, so lowering stigma may cut the pressure to mask.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Anonymous (2024) asked 225 autistic adults to fill out online surveys. The surveys measured stigma, fear of being judged, life events, and how much they hide autistic traits.
The team used a path model. This shows which feelings lead to camouflaging directly and which act through other feelings.
What they found
Fear of negative evaluation sat in the middle. Stigma and cultural pressure raised this fear, and the fear then raised camouflaging.
Bad life events, like bullying, skipped the fear step and pushed people straight into masking.
How this fits with other research
Delgado-Lobete et al. (2020) already showed autistic women mask more than men. The new study keeps gender in the model but adds stigma as the engine.
Day et al. (2021) linked camouflaging to depression and anxiety in teens. Anonymous (2024) shows one reason why: fear of being judged starts the cycle.
Hull et al. (2021) found teens with better executive skills mask more. This seems opposite, but both can be true: skill lets you mask, while stigma makes you feel you must.
Why it matters
If fear of judgment drives masking, then reducing stigma is clinical work. Start sessions by asking, "What do you worry people think about you?" Use that answer to plan stigma-busting goals, self-advocacy training, or peer groups where clients can practice unmasking safely.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Camouflaging involves various strategies employed by autistic individuals to modulate the visibility of their autistic characteristics in social situations and is thought to be primarily motivated by psychosocial factors. Most studies to date have examined a limited number of psychosocial factors related to camouflaging. This study tested an integrated model encompassing several hypothesised individual psychological (i.e. fear of negative evaluation, self-esteem, autistic identity) and broader sociocultural predictors (i.e. perceived stigma, vulnerability events, cultural tightness-looseness, independent and interdependent self-construal). Participants were 225 autistic adults (18–77 years; 60.9% female), who completed self-report measures online. Path analysis partially supported the model, explaining about 25% of the variance in camouflaging. Several sociocultural factors – perceived stigma, cultural tightness and independent and interdependent self-construal – were indirectly associated with camouflaging through individual psychological factors. Notably, greater vulnerability to negative life events was the only sociocultural factor directly contributing to more camouflaging, without mediation by individual psychological factors. Fear of negative evaluation emerged as a strong predictor, mediating most relationships between broader sociocultural factors and camouflaging. Our findings highlight key psychosocial factors as crucial targets for social change, advocating a shift from stigmatisation to acceptance and inclusion to alleviate the pressure on autistic people to camouflage. Many autistic people use strategies known as ‘camouflaging’ to change how noticeable their autistic traits are in social situations. Previous research suggests that camouflaging is largely motivated by psychological and social factors. However, most studies so far have only looked at a few psychosocial factors related to camouflaging. In this study, we explored a model that included several individual psychological factors (such as fear of being negatively judged, self-esteem and autistic identity) and broader social and cultural factors (such as perceived stigma, negative life events, cultural emphasis on conformity and desire to fit in or stand out). We surveyed 225 autistic adults aged 18–77 years online. Our findings showed that several sociocultural factors were indirectly linked to camouflaging through individual psychological factors. Fear of being negatively judged emerged as a strong predictor of camouflaging. Specifically, autistic adults who perceived greater stigma, felt greater pressure to conform, had a lesser desire to stand out and a greater desire to fit in tended to experience a greater fear of being negatively judged and reported more camouflaging. In addition, those who experienced more negative life events were more likely to engage in camouflaging. Our study identifies key psychological and social factors as potential targets for social change. Our findings emphasise that our societies need to shift away from stigmatising attitudes towards accepting and including autistic people, which could reduce the pressure on autistic individuals to camouflage in social situations.
Autism, 2024 · doi:10.1177/13623613241262110