Social Camouflaging and Videoconferencing Fatigue in Neurodivergent Workers: Examining Gender as a Moderator

Abstract Burnout, neurodiversity, and meeting science have developed as separate literatures. This leaves a blind spot at their intersection. Social camouflaging is the suppression of autistic traits to meet social expectations. It demands cognitive and emotional effort. Videoconferencing may compound these demands through persistent self-view, dense face grids, and reduced nonverbal cues. The present study tests whether social camouflaging is associated with Zoom fatigue among neurodivergent adults. We recruited 332 neurodivergent adults through snowball sampling and online community channels. Participants completed an anonymous self-report survey. We conducted hierarchical regressions and a moderated mediation analysis. Autistic traits were positively associated with social camouflaging and Zoom fatigue. Social camouflaging was strongly associated with Zoom fatigue and accounted for substantial variance beyond demographic covariates. Camouflaging mediated the relationship between autistic traits and Zoom fatigue. The indirect effect was about twice as strong for women as for men. Social camouflaging is a distinct source of cognitive load in virtual meetings. These findings extend the camouflaging literature into the occupational domain. Evidence-based accommodations may reduce cognitive demands for neurodivergent employees. These include adjusted meeting load, protected recovery windows, and camera-optional participation.