Mikala Smith | 2026 I.S. Symposium
狈补尘别:听Mikala Smith
Title: Unmasking Identity: Exploring Its Role in the Mental Health of Black Autistic Emerging Adults
惭补箩辞谤:听Psychology
Advisor: Meredith Hope
Emerging adulthood, as conceptualized by Jeffrey Arnett, represents a critical period of identity development, yet Black autistic adults remain significantly understudied within this developmental stage. This study examines how private regard, autistic identity, Africultural coping and masking relate to anxiety and depressive symptoms among Black autistic emerging adults. Grounded in intersectionality and concealable stigmatized identity theory, this research explores how identity and coping processes shape mental health outcomes within complex social contexts. Using a cross-sectional survey design, participants were recruited through direct outreach and Cloud Research. This sample includes 155 Black autistic adults (ages 18-45; M=29.48, SD=6.83), with 54.8% identifying as women and 40% as men. Findings indicated that when controlling for age and formal autism diagnosis, some protective factors showed limited effectiveness, while others were not significant predictors of mental health outcomes. Africultural coping demonstrated partial protective effects, whereas private regard and autistic identity were not consistently associated with lower anxiety or depression. In contrast, masking emerged as the only factor that consistently predicted higher levels of both anxiety and depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the complex interplay of identity, coping and structural influences on mental health. This study underscores the need for culturally responsive, intersectional approaches and longitudinal research to better support Black autistic emerging adults’ mental health.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
