ArticleAutism in adulthood2021
A Conceptual Analysis of Autistic Masking: Understanding the Narrative of Stigma and the Illusion of Choice.
Article in Autism in adulthood, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 155 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
155 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Autistic Traits and Camouflaging: A Meta-Analysis.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Pooled it
- Experiences of females on the autism spectrum through the perspective of minority stress theory: a review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- A comparison of methods for measuring camouflaging in autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2023Pooled it
- Autistic women's views and experiences of infant feeding: A systematic review of qualitative evidence.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Passing as Non-autistic in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2021Pooled it
- Experiencing Independence: Perspectives from Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- "Everyone Has a Different Body Constitution": An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Social Interaction and Related Supports in Chinese Autistic Postsecondary Students.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- The Behavioral Presentation of Autistic Adults in a Forensic Interview.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Are There Sex or Gender Differences in Autistic Characteristics? An Umbrella Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- "I Try to Act Like a Neurotypical so it Makes Customers More Comfortable": A Mixed Methods Analysis of Autistic Camouflaging at Work.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- A Cross-Neurotype Analysis of Camouflaging and Illness Perceptions in People with Central Sensitivity Syndromes.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Sharing an Example of Neurodiversity Affirmative Hiring.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Are we Missing Character in Strengths-Based Approaches to Coaching and Therapy for Autistic People?Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- "Only Boys Can be Autistic": A Qualitative Exploration of Gender Stereotype and Socialization on the Diagnostic Journey.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- "I Accept Them, They Accept Me, We Enjoy Our Time Together": Autistic Adults' Preferences and Perceptions of Relationships With Other Autistic People.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- "It Has Shown Me How Much I Am Capable Of": An Exploration of Autistic Burnout Experiences in Motherhood.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- The "Dual Masking Phenomenon": A Critical Autoethnography of an Autistic Multiracial Latina Amid the Presence of White Autistic Researchers and Self-Advocates.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Unmasking: A Mixed-Methods Study of Autistic College Students' Efforts to Stop Masking/Camouflaging.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Assessing Camouflaging in Adolescence: Psychometric Evaluation of the German Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q/DE).Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan: Dynamic symptom trajectories and multidimensional support framework.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Review
95 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Autistic masking is an emerging research area that focuses on understanding the conscious or unconscious suppression of natural autistic responses and adoption of alternatives across a range of domains. It is suggested that masking may relate to negative outcomes for autistic people, including late/missed diagnosis, mental health issues, burnout, and suicidality. This makes it essential to understand what masking is, and why it occurs. In this conceptual analysis, we suggest that masking is an unsurprising response to the deficit narrative and accompanying stigma that has developed around autism. We outline how classical social theory (i.e., social identity theory) can help us to understand how and why people mask by situating masking in the social context in which it develops. We draw upon the literature on stigma and marginalization to examine how masking might intersect with different aspects of identity (e.g., gender). We argue that although masking might contribute toward disparities in diagnosis, it is important that we do not impose gender norms and stereotypes by associating masking with a "female autism phenotype." Finally we provide recommendations for future research, stressing the need for increased understanding of the different ways that autism may present in different people (e.g., internalizing and externalizing) and intersectionality. We suggest that masking is examined through a sociodevelopmental lens, taking into account factors that contribute toward the initial development of the mask and that drive its maintenance. Lay summary:
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.