Self-Compassion,Camouflaging,and Mental Health in Autistic Adults

Abstract

Background:

Previous research shows that symptoms of anxiety and depression are positively correlated with camouflaging and negatively correlated with self-compassion in autistic adults. However, no study to date has considered the inter-relationships between autistic traits, camouflaging, self-compassion, and mental health in autistic adults.

Methods:

In this study, autistic adults (n = 294) completed demographics (sex, age, and ethnicity), the Autism Spectrum Quotient, the Camouflaging Autistic Traits-Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale.

Results:

We found a negative correlation between social camouflaging and self-compassion (r_partial = −0.483, p < 0.001). Serial mediation analyses revealed that camouflaging and self-compassion may indirectly influence the association between autistic traits and mental health outcomes both independently and through each other.

Conclusions:

The findings of this research provide greater insight into the mental health experiences of autistic adults and can inform the development of tailored interventions that target camouflaging and self-compassion.

Community brief

“Why is this an important issue?”

Many autistic people are diagnosed with mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. Previous research has shown that camouflaging and self-compassion are related to these mental health outcomes. The identification of possible intervention targets to improve mental health is important to effectively support autistic adults.

“What was the purpose of this study?”

The purpose of this study was to first establish whether there is a relationship between camouflaging autistic traits and levels of self-compassion, and, if there is, to examine the processes through which these variables may influence social anxiety, general anxiety, and depression.

“What did the researchers do?”

We designed an online survey and asked autistic adults to complete this survey. The participants responded to a series of questionnaires measuring personal information (sex, age, ethnicity, and health diagnoses), as well as their levels of autistic traits, social camouflaging, self-compassion, and three mental health outcomes: social anxiety, general anxiety, and depression. In total, 294 autistic adults completed the survey.

“What were the results of the study?”

We found a relationship between self-compassion and camouflaging, such that individuals who camouflaged more reported lower self-compassion. We also found that the connection between camouflaging and self-compassion could play an important role in how autistic traits are linked to mental well-being.

“What do these findings add to what was already known?”

Previous studies have investigated self-compassion and camouflaging in autistic people separately, but no study to date has looked at them together. The statistical analyses that we carried out showed that levels of self-compassion and camouflaging may influence the relationship between autistic traits and mental health outcomes. Specifically, this relationship appears to work both ways, meaning that camouflaging behaviors and self-compassion might have an influence on each other, influencing the overall relationship between autistic traits and mental health.

“What are potential weaknesses in the study?”

The study has several potential weaknesses related to the online survey design and how we collected the data. We were unable to conduct diagnostic assessments to confirm the participant's autism diagnosis and relied on their self-reported diagnosis. Also, the data were collected at one point in time, which makes it more difficult to determine the direction of the relationships between the variables.

“How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?”

This study provides a more nuanced understanding of the relationships between camouflaging one's autistic traits, self-compassion, and mental health outcomes. Importantly, we have presented preliminary evidence that self-compassion and camouflaging in combination might influence mental health outcomes. This supports our proposal to develop therapeutic interventions that target both these variables to promote the mental well-being of autistic adults.