Autism traits and mental well-being: the mediating role of social camouflaging and the moderating role of social exclusion and public stigma

There is a strong relationship between autism and mental health problems. Autistic individuals are more frequently exposed to stigma and social exclusion in social life, which may lead them to engage in socially desirable behaviors to camouflage themselves. Within this framework, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between autism traits and mental well-being, focusing on social camouflaging behaviors in the context of social exclusion and perceived stigma. The study sample consisted of 548 adults across Turkey, including 432 women (78.8%) and 116 men (21.2%). To test the proposed model, Model 4 and Model 21 developed by Hayes were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 and PROCESS Macro. The findings indicated a negative and significant relationship between autism traits and mental well-being, with social camouflaging mediating this relationship. In addition, the relationship between autism traits and social camouflaging was found to be influenced by social exclusion, while the relationship between social camouflaging and mental well-being was moderated by perceived public stigma. The findings are expected to contribute to broadening perspectives in autism research.