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

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.