| Title: |
Understanding Autistic Identity Contingencies: The Chain Mediation Effect of Autism Acceptance and Loneliness in Ableist Microaggressions and Social Camouflage |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Siqing Guan (ORCID 0009-0006-1628-015X); Fumito Takahashi; Makoto Wada; Hikari N. Takashina; Midori Ueda; Masamitsu Kawashima; Yasuo Kawaguchi; Takeo Kato; Shinichiro Ogawa; Kenji Tsuchiya; Fumiyo Oshima |
| Source: |
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 2026 30(2):466-483. |
| Availability: |
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: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
18 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Autism Spectrum Disorders; Adults; Attitudes toward Disabilities; Microaggressions; Social Behavior; Compliance (Psychology); Interpersonal Competence; Social Influences; Acculturation; Psychological Patterns; Stress Management; Adjustment (to Environment); Stress Variables; Mental Health; Self Concept |
| DOI: |
10.1177/13623613251389876 |
| ISSN: |
1362-3613; 1461-7005 |
| Abstract: |
Ableist microaggressions--subtle forms of disability-based discrimination--constitute a key minority stressor. Amplified by autistic identity contingencies that shape how autistic identity is judged and treated in social contexts, these factors drive social camouflage in autistic adults, compelling them to conceal autistic characteristics for adapting to non-autistic groups, often resulting in negative mental health outcomes. This study proposes a novel autistic identity contingencies model to explore how autism acceptance and loneliness mediate the relationship between ableist microaggressions and social camouflage. An online survey of 330 autistic adults was conducted, followed by hierarchical multiple regression and chain mediation analyses. Results revealed that, ableist microaggressions positively predicted three social camouflage phenotypes: compensation, masking, and assimilation, with loneliness also positively predicting assimilation. Furthermore, after controlling for personal attributes, general stress and mental health conditions, lower external autism acceptance and higher loneliness mediated the positive relationship between ableist microaggressions and assimilation, whereas internal autism acceptance showed no significant effect. Assimilation is uniquely shaped by social autistic identity threats and loneliness, distinguishing it from compensation and masking. These findings highlight social camouflage as responses to minority stressors driven by social autistic identity contingencies, rooted in stigmatised behaviours rather than in stigmatised personal autistic identity. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1494629 |
| Database: |
ERIC |