Presenter: Victoria W. Ip

Faculty Sponsor: Ashley Woodman

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, 163, C31

ABSTRACT

Autism research has primarily focused on children and relatively homogeneous samples, limiting understanding of how autism presents across gender, age, and ethnoracial groups. Prior work suggests potential group differences in social camouflaging. This study examines whether cultural orientation (collectivist vs. individualist), gender, and ethnoracial identity moderate associations between social camouflaging and psychological distress (anxiety, depression, stress) in autistic young adults. Participants (N = 24; projected N = 150) were autistic young adults with scores ≥148 on the Comprehensive Autistic Traits Inventory (CATI). Measures included the social camouflaging subscale of the Comprehensive Autistic Traits Inventory (CATI), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), and Cultural Orientation Scale (COS). Participants identified as White (43%), Multiracial (24%), East Asian (19%), Other (10%), or Latine (5%), and were classified as men (n = 10) or not men (n = 11). Camouflaging scores ranged from 20–34 (M = 27.9), and psychological distress ranged from 5–44 (M = 21.9). Gender did not significantly predict camouflaging (p = 0.255). Camouflaging negatively predicted depressive symptoms among those classified as not men (p = 0.002), but we found no evidence that this effect differed by gender. Camouflaging did not significantly predict symptoms of anxiety or stress, and gender did not moderate these associations. These preliminary findings do not provide strong evidence for gender-differential effects of social camouflaging. Ongoing data collection will allow for more robust tests of cultural and ethnoracial moderation.