Date Published: January 8, 2025

This is a SPARK Research Match Summary Report. It describes results from newly published research using data from SPARK participants.

Study title

An Examination of Perceived Stress and Emotion Regulation Challenges as Mediators of Associations Between Camouflaging and Internalizing Symptomatology

What was the study about?

Previous research found a link between camouflaging – when people on the spectrum hide their autistic traits – and anxiety and depression. Autistic people have also reported feeling a lot of stress and trouble managing their emotions. Researchers wanted to learn whether stress, and the challenges with regulating emotions, affect the relationship between camouflaging and both anxiety and depression.

How was the research done?

Almost 790 autistic adults in the SPARK study answered survey questions about camouflaging, anxiety, depression, stress, and how they manage their emotions. These independent adults ranged in age from 18 to 78, with an average age of about 40. About 60 percent were assigned female at birth, and 40 percent were assigned male.

What did the researchers learn?

• Adults who reported greater camouflaging of autistic traits had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. They also were more likely to have trouble managing their emotions.¹
• Stress and how people managed their emotions each contributed to the links between camouflaging and anxiety and depression.
• These associations were similar for people who were assigned male or female at birth.

What was new and innovative about the study?

This study was the first to examine whether feelings of stress and challenges with emotion regulation affect the link between camouflaging and both depression and anxiety, in autistic adults.

What do the findings mean?

Autistic adults are more likely to have anxiety and depression than other people. “These findings support the idea that the day-to-day stress of living in a neurotypical world plays a part in elevated rates of anxiety and depression in autistic people,” according to the study.¹

What are people saying?

Study participants:

• “I am impressed with the depth of the questions, but also with how easy it was to understand and answer the questions. I am excited about this study and feel that it will yield valuable and informative results.”
• “Thanks for studying this. Autism research is so often focused on early intervention, which is understandable but also makes me feel like a lost cause and doesn’t give me or my family and support team much to go off of to know how best to help me.”
• “I hope the information will support general understanding of autism.”
• “Interesting questions. Hit on everything I notice that makes me feel different from other people.”

Study researchers Goldie A. McQuaid, Ph.D., research assistant professor, George Mason University and Gregory Wallace, Ph.D., associate professor, The George Washington University:

“Many autistic people describe how taxing it is to live in a neurotypical-dominant world, particularly when they feel pressured to mask (or camouflage) their autistic traits. Many studies link masking with increased anxiety and depression symptoms. The goal of this study was to try to identify factors that might explain this link. We examined perceived stress and emotion regulation. By showing that stress and emotion regulation influence the relationship between masking and anxiety/depression, we have identified possible avenues through which masking impacts mental health. The results point to the importance of creating environments where it is safe for all autistic people to be authentic.”

What’s next?

These results may help explain why autistic people are more likely to have depression and anxiety. Researchers hope this information will be used to find ways of improving the mental health of autistic people.

References

1. McQuaid G.A. et al. Autism Adulthood 6, 345-361 (2024) PubMed

About SPARK Research Match

This SPARK Program matches participants with research studies that they may want to join. These studies have been evaluated for scientific merit and approved by a scientific committee at SPARK. The program is free to researchers and participants. SPARK does not endorse or conduct these studies. Participants choose if they want to take part in a particular study.