Sorry, this project has finished.

Please contact 2333331L@student.gla.ac.uk with any questions about this study.

You participated in a study investigating the relationship between levels of autistic traits, camouflaging autistic traits and social anxiety. A mixed methods design was used, combining both quantitative and qualitative measures.

The quantitative part of the study used a correlational design. It consisted of three questionnaire measures. The first questionnaire was the Autism Quotient, a non-diagnostic measure of autistic traits. The next questionnaire measured the degree to which you engage in camouflaging behavior. The third questionnaire was a measure of social anxiety.

These data will be analyzed using multiple regression, to investigate whether levels of autistic traits and camouflaging explain variations in social anxiety. The main hypothesis for this part of the study was that levels of autistic traits and camouflaging predict levels of social anxiety. That is, a person with higher autistic traits and a stronger tendency for camouflaging behaviors will experience higher social anxiety. The final part was qualitative and explored the motivations behind camouflaging and the perceived consequences.

If you are interested in the topics raised by this study, the paper by Hull et al. (2017) is worth reading. They investigated the motivations, techniques, and consequences of camouflaging specifically in autistic adults, using a qualitative approach. For more information, refer to: Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M., & Mandy, W. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”: Social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(8), 2519-2534. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5

If you experienced any discomfort in response to any of the questions in this study, you can use the free mental health resources below: Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland. Breathing Space: https://breathingspace.scot/

If you have any further questions or would be interested in the outcome of the experiment, feel free to contact the experimenter (Klara Łuczka – 2333331L@student.gla.ac.uk)

Thank you for your participation.