Exploring camouflaging by the Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire in Taiwanese autistic and non-autistic adolescents: An initial development

Abstract

Camouflaging is a strategy adopted by neurodivergent individuals to cope in neurotypical social contexts, likely related to perceived stress. Despite increasing research in autistic adults, studies of camouflaging in adolescents remain sparse. The self-reported Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire has been validated in adults in some Western societies, but not in non-Western populations. We examined the psychometric properties of the self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire in Taiwanese adolescents. We enrolled 100 autistic and 105 non-autistic adolescents (aged 12–18 years) and their caregivers. As an initial development, we found a two-factor structure (“compensation-masking” and “assimilation”) via exploratory factor analysis, alongside good internal consistency and test–retest reliability, for both the self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire. Self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire scores were moderately to highly correlated. Autistic adolescents showed higher total Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire and assimilation scores than non-autistic adolescents in both males and females. Female autistic adolescents showed higher assimilation than male autistic adolescents, but there was no significant difference between sex assigned at birth on compensation-masking in either autistic or non-autistic adolescents. Assimilation correlated with higher self-perceived stress for both autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire were reliable and offered meaningful information to understand social coping of Taiwanese autistic and non-autistic adolescents.

Lay abstract

Camouflaging is a coping strategy used by some autistic and other neurodivergent people to fit in neurotypical social contexts. The self-reported Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire has been validated for use in research with adults in some Western societies, but not in non-Western cultural-ethnic groups. We translated Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire into traditional Chinese and examined the use of this measure in Taiwanese adolescents via both self-report and caregiver-report in 100 autistic and 105 non-autistic adolescents. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire were composed of two factors (i.e. a “compensation-masking” subscale and an “assimilation” subscale). Both adolescent self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire total score and subscales were reliable in measurement, and they highly correlated with each other. Taiwanese autistic adolescents were more likely to camouflage than non-autistic adolescents, especially on assimilation. Female autistic adolescents showed higher assimilation than male autistic adolescents. Higher camouflaging, especially assimilation, was associated with higher stress in autistic and non-autistic adolescents alike. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire were reliable and offered meaningful information to help us understand the social coping experiences of autistic and non-autistic adolescents.