Unmasking: A Mixed-Methods Study of Autistic College Students’ Efforts to Stop Masking/Camouflaging

Authors

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Autistic individuals often mask/camouflage to conceal their autistic traits, but this practice is stressful and damaging to mental health. Unmasking, a newly identified phenomenon, is the deliberate effort to stop masking and reclaim a more authentic self-presentation. This study is the first to examine autistic people’s experiences with unmasking and its mental health implications. Methods Interviews (n = 14) and surveys (n = 214) examined autistic college students’ understanding of unmasking, experiences and motivations, and impacts on mental health. Results The majority of participants in both samples had heard of unmasking, and half had tried it. Interviewees showed substantial variation in ability and willingness to unmask. Unmasking was difficult-to-impossible when masking was highly ingrained, as deconstructing masking repertoires and rediscovering their “true selves” was challenging. Unmasking relieved stress from masking and increased authenticity, but also created worries that revealing a more autistic self-presentation would garner social backlash, unless supported by friends or other unmaskers. Survey respondents’ unmasking frequency was overall low, but varied across social contexts. Unmasking difficulty was associated with heightened anxiety, whereas unmasking with family predicted decreased anxiety and depression. Other unmasking variables were less robust predictors, but suggest that unmasking is beneficial amongst those who try it. Conclusion We need further research into unmasking, especially its trajectories and mental health impacts. In comparison to masking, unmasking may be a more collectively beneficial practice. Its drawbacks are all rooted in external stigma, suggesting that increasing autism acceptance is key to supporting autistic individuals’ unmasking and long-term mental well-being.

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