It is More Anxiousness than Role-playing: Social Camouflaging Conceptualization Among Adults on the Autism Spectrum Compared to Persons with Social Anxiety Disorder.
Anna Pyszkowska
PMID 38842668WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with autism and those with social anxiety reported similar overall levels of camouflaging.
Compensation was higher in autism, while masking and assimilation were higher in social anxiety. Burnout and stigma predicted camouflaging more strongly than autistic traits did.
Key findings
01Total camouflaging scores did not differ significantly between adults with autism, adults with social anxiety disorder, or those with both diagnoses.
02Specific camouflaging behaviors varied by diagnosis: compensation was highest in the autism-only group, while masking and assimilation were highest in groups with social anxiety disorder.
03Public stigma and social avoidance were the strongest predictors of camouflaging, whereas autistic traits had minimal predictive effect.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine cause and effect or confirm the proposed conceptual model. The sample was unbalanced (more ASD than SAD participants) and homogeneous (mostly white, female, Polish adults), limiting generalizability. The Autism Quotient-10 (AQ-10) showed low reliability in this study and may not be robust for non-autistic samples. The Perceived Public Stigma Scale had not been previously validated in the autistic population. Self-reported diagnoses were used, though participants were excluded if they only had a self-diagnosis without a formal one.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki) in Poland. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high camouflaging scores indicate autism. The total amount of camouflaging was similar in people with social anxiety disorder, and specific types (masking, assimilation) were actually higher in the SAD groups. Camouflaging appears to be a transdiagnostic response to stigma and anxiety rather than a marker of autistic traits.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →