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Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q).

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Mandy, William 
Lai, Meng-Chuan 
Baron-Cohen, Simon 
Allison, Carrie 

Abstract

There currently exist no self-report measures of social camouflaging behaviours (strategies used to compensate for or mask autistic characteristics during social interactions). The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) was developed from autistic adults' experiences of camouflaging, and was administered online to 354 autistic and 478 non-autistic adults. Exploratory factor analysis suggested three factors, comprising of 25 items in total. Good model fit was demonstrated through confirmatory factor analysis, with measurement invariance analyses demonstrating equivalent factor structures across gender and diagnostic group. Internal consistency (α = 0.94) and preliminary test-retest reliability (r = 0.77) were acceptable. Convergent validity was demonstrated through comparison with measures of autistic traits, wellbeing, anxiety, and depression. The present study provides robust psychometric support for the CAT-Q.

Description

Keywords

Autism, Camouflaging, Compensation, Coping Strategies, Masking, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Anxiety Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Psychometrics, Reproducibility of Results, Self Report, Social Behavior, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult

Journal Title

J Autism Dev Disord

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0162-3257
1573-3432

Volume Title

49

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
Autism Research Trust (unknown)
Templeton World Charity Foundation (TWCF) (TWCF0138/AB89)
Medical Research Council (G0600977)
Wellcome Trust (091774/Z/10/Z)