Associations between social camouflaging and internalizing symptoms in autistic and non-autistic adolescents

Abstract

Autistic individuals experience higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities than their peers. Camouflaging, the process through which individuals hide autistic traits, can be detrimental to mental health. This may be particularly true for autistic females, although research on sex differences in the relationship between camouflaging and mental health has focused on adults. The purpose of this study was to extend previous research on camouflaging and mental health through examining age, sex, autism diagnosis, and camouflaging as predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress levels in autistic and non-autistic adolescents. One hundred forty adolescents ages 13–18 years (62 non-autistic, 58 female) completed an online survey including measures of camouflaging, autistic traits, and internalizing symptoms. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine age, sex, diagnosis, and camouflaging as predictors of internalizing symptoms. Findings suggest that level of camouflaging is an important predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress in autistic and non-autistic adolescents and that camouflaging may be particularly distressing for females, regardless of diagnosis. These findings inform our understanding of camouflaging and its consequences and point to future directions for support for autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Clinicians may consider interventions targeting social skills, self-acceptance, and self-esteem to reduce possible negative effects of camouflaging. Lay abstract Autistic individuals have more mental health difficulties than non-autistic individuals. It is important to understand why this might be. Research has shown that camouflaging, or strategies used to hide autistic traits, might contribute to mental health difficulties in autistic adults. We examined whether this was also the case for autistic adolescents. This study included 140 adolescents ages 13–18 years (62 non-autistic, 58 female). All participants answered questions about camouflaging, autistic traits, and mental health difficulties. We found that autistic and non-autistic adolescents who reported higher levels of camouflaging also reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. We also found that camouflaging might be particularly stressful for females. These findings improve our understanding of camouflaging during adolescence and point to potential ways to support autistic adolescents, such as help with social skills, self-acceptance, and self-esteem. The findings also support the importance of increasing autism acceptance in the general population.