Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Background:Many autistic people camouflage their autistic traits to fit into non-autistic environments. While psychosocial factors influence camouflaging, its development and relationship with these factors over time remain unclear due to limited prospective follow-up studies. This study examined (a) continuity and change in camouflaging over 2 years, and (b) whether sociocultural predictors at Time 1 (T1: perceived stigma, vulnerability events, cultural tightness-looseness, and independent and interdependent self-construal) and psychological factors at Time 2 (T2: fear of negative evaluation FNE, self-esteem, and autistic identity) predicted camouflaging at Time 3 (T3). Methods:Participants completed self-report measures of camouflaging and psychosocial experiences online at three time points across 2 years. Of 231 T1 participants, 135 completed T2, and 104 completed T3. After data cleaning and addressing missing data, the final sample included 226 autistic adults (18–77 years; 60.6% female). We assessed continuity and change using mean scores, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and latent growth modeling, and conducted a path analysis of earlier (T1 and T2) psychosocial predictors of later (T3) camouflaging. Results:Camouflaging showed considerable stability in individual rankings (ICCs = 0.80–0.86) and at group mean levels, with growth modeling suggesting a slight overall decline. The path model of T1 sociocultural and T2 psychological factors explained 32.2% of the variance in T3 camouflaging. Earlier FNE, autistic identity, and self-construal variables predicted later camouflaging, directly or indirectly. Conclusion:This is the first prospective study examining camouflaging over 2 years. Findings highlight the overall stability of camouflaging in adulthood and the role of earlier psychosocial predictors in later camouflaging, emphasizing the need to address sociocultural and psychological pressures on autistic people. Future research could use ecological momentary assessment and longer term studies to explore camouflaging across different social contexts and life stages.
Zhuang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.