Putting on a disguise to fit in: A mixed methods study of experiences in autistic camouflaging

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. The publication reports one autistic author, without identifying them by name.

Jones, S., Sharpe, B. T., King, R., Waldeck, D., & Tyndall, I. (2025). Putting on a disguise to fit in: A mixed methods study of experiences in autistic camouflaging. Research in Neurodiversity, 1, 100004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rin.2025.100004

Publication date: 11 Oct 2025 Added to AutiHub: 24 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
5
Autistic authors reported by the publication
1

Abstract

A 3:1 male-to-female autism diagnosis ratio may be partly explained by more prevalent camouflaging behaviours among females, which can mask autistic traits. Methods: This mixed-methods study examined gender differences in camouflaging among 110 autistic adults (aged 18–64) using the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) and explored lived experiences through interviews with eight participants (aged 18–37). Results: Quantitative results showed that females reported significantly higher total camouflaging scores than males, particularly in the compensation subtype, while differences in masking and assimilation were not significant. Thematic analysis of interviews identified four key overarching themes: camouflaging motivations and consequences, level of consciousness, affected identity, and experiences of support. Conclusions: Findings highlight the complex impact of camouflaging on daily life and its potential role in delayed diagnoses and mental health challenges. Further research should include diverse gender identities and a broader representation of the autism spectrum to inform better support and interventions.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 14:09.

Cited references
68
With a DOI
60
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
7
4 / 68 (5.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
2 / 68 (2.9%)
References with detected author names
66 / 68 (97.1%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
6
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
227
From DOI or external metadata
227
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
112 / 227 (49.3%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 115 / 227 (50.7%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
4 / 227 (1.8%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 4 / 112 (3.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 4 / 162 (2.5%).
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