The Relationship Between Social Camouflage, Age of Autism Diagnosis/Recognition, Current Age, & Childhood Social Ecological Factors for Female & Nonbinary/Gender-Diverse Autistic Adults

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Abstract

Some research suggests that gender disparities in autism diagnoses are due to social camouflage (SC), however there are mixed findings in the literature. Both autism recognition and SC have significant implications for identity development and well-being. This study examined the relationship between gender identity, age of autism diagnosis/recognition, current age, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and social camouflage engagement (SCE) in atypical autistic adults to address multiple literature gaps. Ethics of care and bioecological theory were used as a theoretical framework. This quantitative study used a non-experimental predictive correlational design. Data was collected via anonymous online surveys which included limited demographics, the CATQ-SF, and the PCE questionnaire. The target population was English speaking, female and nonbinary/gender-diverse autistic adults without intellectual disability in Canada and the United States who are 18-65 years old. The sample included 146 adults, age 18-64 years old (M = 37.52). More than half (87, 59.6%) of the sample identified as cis female, 40.4% (59) identified as nonbinary or diverse gender identities. The average age of autism recognition was 30.99 years (SD-11.12). Most participants (83.6%) experienced initial autism recognition as adults. Data was assessed via multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis, all MLR assumption checks were met. Analysis assessed the ability of gender, current age, age of recognition and PCEs to predict SCE. The average participant CATQ-SF score was 50.01 out of 63 (SD- 7.36). Based on the CAT-Q reference points, a score of 50 (79%) falls in the high range. The average participant PCE score was 3.7 out of 7 (SD-1.83), falling in the moderate range. The full set of predictor variables explained significant variation (~24%, R = 0.488, R2 = 0.238 (Adjusted R2 = 0.157), (F (14,131) =6.788, p < .001) in SCE. Only positive childhood socioecological factors (PCE score) demonstrated a significant unique ability to predict SCE, with a negative relationship between PCE and CATQ-SF scores accounting for ~8% in outcome variance, (R2 = .081, Adjusted R2 = .075, F (4,141) =12.75, p <.001). Limitations include unknown SCE variance due to other demographic or identity variables, unknown prevalence of this population, barriers to autism recognition, unknown influence of current social contexts and limitations in instrument measurement.

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