A Qualitative Exploration of Autistic People's Experiences of Camouflaging Across Different Social Contexts

Background: Autistic people experience significant societal stigmatization and frequently use camouflaging strategies to conceal their autistic traits and survive or form relationships in a predominantly non-autistic world. They tend to have smoother and more rewarding interactions with autistic than non-autistic people. Emerging research has identified that social context plays a significant part in one's camouflaging decision-making and strategies, and the perception of their behavior, which has not yet been investigated qualitatively.Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 autistic adults, focusing on their perception of camouflaging in different social contexts as well as when around autistic and non-autistic people. We then analyzed and interpreted the transcripts using thematic analysis.Results: The study identified three themes in the data: perceptions of psychological safety, fit with a person, and expectations and dynamic identity negotiation. Participants tended to feel safer and camouflage less around those they perceived as accepting or similar in communication style. The latter included some, but not all, autistic people. This suggests that camouflaging could be part of a dynamic identity negotiation process as participants met or subverted the perceived expectations of a particular context.Conclusions: This study emphasizes the nuanced nature of camouflaging and stresses the need for fostering inclusive environments. Community Brief Why is this an important issue? Many autistic people change their behavior to make their autistic traits less visible to others. This happens because they do not feel safe or accepted. This is referred to as camouflaging. Some research suggests that camouflaging may look different in different social situations. We know that it is often easier for autistic people to interact with other autistic people, and previous studies suggest that is due to feeling more accepted and a similarity in communication styles. What was the purpose of this study? We wanted to find out how autistic people view and use their camouflaging in different contexts, especially in interactions with autistic versus non-autistic people. Understanding what camouflaging looks like in different situations may help explain the reasons for camouflaging and its consequences. What did the researchers do? We interviewed 15 autistic adults about their experiences of camouflaging, focusing on interactions with autistic and non-autistic people. Afterward, we analyzed what participants had said to see if there were any common themes or experiences. What were the results of the study? We identified three main themes after analyzing the data. The first theme showed that feeling safe was a key factor in camouflaging. Participants usually felt safer and camouflaged less when interacting with other autistic people. While most non-autistic people did not provide the same sense of safety and acceptance, some of participants' loved ones did. The second theme described the idea of fit between an autistic person and the person with whom they were interacting. A match between their communication styles made interactions easier. This often, but not always, happened in interactions where both people were autistic. Finally, the third theme explored how camouflaging interacted with the social environment. We found that participants felt that camouflaging allowed them to respond to perceived expectations of social situations. Sometimes, participants camouflaged to meet those expectations, but many chose to be open about their autistic traits and identity. What do these findings add to what was already known? This study highlights the role of the social context in camouflaging by showing how it depends on the perceived safety and expectations of a particular environment. The findings also show that not all interactions between autistic people are easy and feel safe and that autistic people can form close and authentic relationships with non-autistic people with some mutual effort. What are potential weaknesses in the study? Our participants were mostly White British and highly educated. All had fluent speech. Camouflaging may look different for autistic people from different backgrounds and with different abilities. We do not know if the findings would apply to those not represented in this sample. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? These findings highlight that it is important to create safe environments where autistic people can be themselves without fearing judgment. Understanding why some interactions between autistic people are challenging can help autistic people form stronger relationships with other autistic people.