Brief report: Does autistic community connectedness moderate the relationship between masking and wellbeing?

Resumen

This article has now been published - please cite the published version (see DOI). Background: Masking or camouflaging involves blending in or covering a stigmatised identity, to avoid discrimination and ‘pass’ within society. Autistic people often report masking, both intentionally and unintentionally, to get by in social situations. Autistic people who report high rates of masking also tend to experience poorer mental health. It is important we understand whether there are variables which can protect against the negative effects of masking. One such potential variable is autistic community connectedness – being part of and belonging to the autistic community. Past research suggests autistic people benefit from being socially connected to other autistic people. We investigated whether autistic community connectedness could moderate the relationship between masking and wellbeing. Methods: One hundred and ninety-six autistic people completed an online survey including measures of autistic community connectedness, camouflaging autistic traits and mental wellbeing. We used moderation regression analysis to test whether autistic community connectedness acted as a buffer between masking and wellbeing. Results: Higher self-reported masking related to poorer mental wellbeing. Higher autistic community connectedness related to more positive wellbeing. Higher autistic community connectedness correlated with more masking. However, there was no interaction effect, and autistic community connectedness did not moderate the relationship between masking and wellbeing. Conclusions: Although autistic community connectedness did relate to more positive mental wellbeing overall, it did not moderate the negative relationship between masking and wellbeing. If masking relates to the prejudice faced by autistic people, those with greater attachment to the autistic community may also be more aware of discrimination against their community. Further, autistic people who are more connected might experience a higher salience of masking when moving between autistic and non-autistic settings. Tackling prejudice towards autistic people is critical in helping to protect autistic people against masking, and we must endeavour to change perceptions and increase inclusion of autistic people.

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Cage, E., Cranney, R., & Botha, M. (2021). Brief report: Does autistic community connectedness moderate the relationship between masking and wellbeing?. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0096