Quantifying and Exploring Camouflaging in Men and Women with Autism

Autor/inn/en	Lai, Meng-Chuan; Lombardo, Michael V.; Ruigrok, Amber N. V.; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev; Auyeung, Bonnie; Szatmari, Peter; Happé, Francesca; Baron-Cohen, Simon
Titel	Quantifying and Exploring Camouflaging in Men and Women with Autism
Quelle	In: Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 21 (2017) 6, S.690-702 (13 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1362-3613
DOI	10.1177/1362361316671012
Schlagwörter	Autism; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Gender Differences; Diagnostic Tests; Observation; Interpersonal Communication; Statistical Analysis; Anxiety; Depression (Psychology); Intelligence Quotient; Measures (Individuals); Foreign Countries; Intelligence Tests; United Kingdom; Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Beck Anxiety Inventory; Beck Depression Inventory; Wechsler Intelligence Scales Short Forms + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autismus; Geschlechterkonflikt; Diagnostic test; Diagnostischer Test; Beobachtung; Interpersonale Kommunikation; Statistische Analyse; Angst; Intelligenzquotient; Messdaten; Ausland; Intelligence test; Intelligenztest; Großbritannien
Abstract	Autobiographical descriptions and clinician observations suggest that some individuals with autism, particularly females, "camouflage" their social communication difficulties, which may require considerable cognitive effort and lead to increased stress, anxiety and depression. Using data from 60 age- and IQ-matched men and women with autism (without intellectual disability), we operationalized camouflaging in adults with autism for the first time as the quantitative discrepancy between the person's "external" behavioural presentation in social-interpersonal contexts (measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) and the person's "internal" status (dispositional traits measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient and social cognitive capability measured by the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test). We found that the operationalized camouflaging measure was not significantly correlated with age or IQ. On average, women with autism had higher camouflaging scores than men with autism (Cohen's d = 0.98), with substantial variability in both groups. Greater camouflaging was associated with more depressive symptoms in men and better signal-detection sensitivity in women with autism. The neuroanatomical association with camouflaging score was largely sex/gender-dependent and significant only in women: from reverse inference, the most correlated cognitive terms were about emotion and memory. The underlying constructs, measurement, mechanisms, consequences and heterogeneity of camouflaging in autism warrant further investigation. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01