The purpose of this study is to identify relationships between social identity (including LGBT identity), social camouflaging (“masking”), and well-being in autistic adults. It is well documented that masking behavior is associated with poor mental health outcomes for autistic adults, but little to no research has addressed the effects of masking on autistic adults who are members of other marginalized groups.
What are the goals of the study?
This study seeks to address whether the similar roles of masking among autistic and queer individuals result in trends in masking behavior for the large segment of the autistic adult population that identifies as LGBT.
What will happen during the visit or online?
The study consists of a 20-minute Qualtrics survey that asks demographic questions and uses several validated measures to determine respondents’ social identities, levels of masking across those identities (specifically autistic identity, sexuality, and gender), and recent depressive symptoms.
How will this help families?
The relationship between masking and well-being is increasingly well documented in academic literature on autism. This study will lay the groundwork for future research on how masking influence well-being in multiply marginalized autistic individuals.
