Drapalik Krista N, Magin Daniel J, Rinaldi Melissa L, Christodulu Kristin V
University at Albany-State University of New York, USA.
Autism. 2025 Jun 18:13623613251345855. doi: 10.1177/13623613251345855.
Adolescence is a vulnerable developmental period for autistic youth. Autistic adolescents often use camouflaging to combat social challenges, perceived differences, and stigmatization. Although adolescence is an integral period for identity development, integration of these topics remains understudied in current literature. Evidence of elevated camouflaging rates among autistic females and gender-diverse adults underscores the need to examine the developmental trajectory of these topics. The present study qualitatively explored first-person perspectives on camouflaging and identity formation among autistic female and gender-diverse youth. Ten autistic adolescents (female: = 7; gender diverse: = 3) and their caregivers were enrolled in the present study. Youths completed a semi-structured interview or focus group discussion. Data were qualitatively analyzed and produced several prominent themes in three domains of investigation: (1) the nuts and bolts of camouflaging, (2) the aftermath of camouflaging, and (3) understanding being autistic. Identified themes and subthemes are discussed. Results demonstrated that autistic youth employ complex camouflaging strategies, motivated and reinforced by their experiences within society, that hold damaging consequences for their self-understanding and well-being. These findings reinforce the harmful implications of camouflaging on youths' positive identity development, mental health, and well-being. Implications and future directions are discussed.Lay AbstractAdolescence is a challenging time for autistic youth. Many autistic adolescents change their behavior in social situations to adapt or cope with social challenges, feeling different, and/or stigma. We conducted in-depth discussions with autistic adolescents who identify as female or gender-diverse to understand how changing their behavior in social situations impacts their identity, or self-understanding. Ten autistic adolescents and their caregivers were included in the study. Discussions were analyzed to understand how and why youths change their social behavior and the impact it has on their self-understanding. Participants described using many complex strategies to change their social behavior that are influenced by negative views our society has about people's differences. The strategies often harmed participants' self-understanding and negatively affected their overall well-being. The results are important for understanding how to support autistic adolescents' self-understanding, mental health, and well-being.
青春期是自闭症青少年发育的脆弱时期。自闭症青少年常常采用伪装来应对社交挑战、感知到的差异和污名化。尽管青春期是身份认同发展的重要时期，但当前文献中对这些主题的整合研究仍不足。自闭症女性和性别多样化成年人中伪装率升高的证据凸显了研究这些主题发展轨迹的必要性。本研究定性探索了自闭症女性和性别多样化青少年对伪装和身份形成的第一人称视角。十名自闭症青少年（女性 = 7名；性别多样化 = 3名）及其照顾者参与了本研究。青少年完成了半结构化访谈或焦点小组讨论。对数据进行了定性分析，并在三个调查领域产生了几个突出主题：（1）伪装的具体方法，（2）伪装的后果，以及（3）对自闭症的理解。讨论了已识别的主题和子主题。结果表明，自闭症青少年采用复杂的伪装策略，这些策略受到他们在社会中的经历的驱动和强化，对他们的自我认知和幸福感产生有害影响。这些发现强化了伪装对青少年积极身份发展、心理健康和幸福感的有害影响。讨论了研究的意义和未来方向。
青春期对自闭症青少年来说是一个充满挑战的时期。许多自闭症青少年在社交场合改变自己的行为，以适应或应对社交挑战、感觉与众不同和/或污名。我们与认同为女性或性别多样化的自闭症青少年进行了深入讨论，以了解他们在社交场合改变行为如何影响他们的身份认同或自我认知。十名自闭症青少年及其照顾者参与了该研究。对讨论进行分析，以了解青少年如何以及为何改变他们的社交行为，以及这种行为对他们自我认知的影响。参与者描述了使用许多复杂的策略来改变他们的社交行为，这些策略受到我们社会对人们差异的负面看法的影响。这些策略常常损害参与者的自我认知，并对他们的整体幸福感产生负面影响。这些结果对于理解如何支持自闭症青少年的自我认知、心理健康和幸福感很重要。
