The association between self-rated autistic traits, social camouflaging, and mental health outcome in Taiwanese anime, game and comic (ACG) doujin creators: An exploratory study

Abstract Background Doujin (どうじん) is a Japanese term referred to a circle where people share the same interests, usually something that belongs to Anime, Comics, and Games (ACG) subculture. Individuals who belong to it and create related works, known as ACG doujin creators, are usually described as being socially awkward and are under potential risk of isolation. In such a context, they may theoretically exhibit heightened levels of autistic traits, manifest camouflaging tendencies and consequently have effects on their mental health. Nonetheless, the impact of autistic trait and camouflaging on mental health in this subculture remains significantly underexplored. Methods We recruited 183 Taiwanese ACG doujin creators (age ranges from 18 to 41, 146 female and 37 male) via social networking platforms. Participants completed Chinese online surveys assessing socio-demographic information, doujin activities, past psychiatric history, the 35-item Version of Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-35), Chinese version Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q-Ch), the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Linear regression analysis was employed to examine the associations between the aforementioned scales. Results Our findings revealed that among ACG doujin creators, there were no significant sex differences in any of the scales examined. Moreover, we observed a positive association between camouflaging behavior and most AQ-35 subscales after controlling of age and sex, with the exception of the mindreading subscale. Additionally, we identified that camouflaging and autistic traits, rather than sex, were significantly linked to higher scores of PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Conclusions Through this study, we gained insight into the distinctive characteristics of autistic traits, camouflaging behaviours, and mental health among Taiwanese ACG doujin creators, as the findings are divergent compared to previous research. This topic may hold significant promise for further investigation.