Kota Kinabalu: A registered counsellor told the Coroner’s Court on Tuesday that she found no indication that Zara Qairina Mahathir engaged in “masking” after reviewing her life history.
The 76th deponent, Dr Noor Aishah Rosli, who is also a child psychologist, revealed this in response to a question from counsel Shahlan Jufri during the continuation of the inquest before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
After reviewing Zara’s background from birth until the final period of her life, Dr Noor said she did not find any evidence of masking.
Shahlan: Doctor, what does masking mean from a psychological perspective?
Dr Noor: Masking refers to a person trying to conceal the fact that they are different from others. Secondly, a person who engages in masking is aware that they do not behave in the same way as most people. They know they are atypical, but they try to appear typical or “normal.”
Based on my 18 years of experience as a psychologist, as well as the articles I have written and the research I have read, masking is most commonly associated with autism.
We often hear about people with high-functioning autism who engage in masking. That is why many individuals with high-functioning autism are able to work, get married and socialise.
They have a strong capacity for masking. They try to appear like everyone else. However, when they are alone, such as at home, they revert to behaving in ways that are natural to them.
Shahlan: How does a psychologist or psychiatrist determine whether a child or adolescent is engaging in masking?
Dr Noor: As I mentioned earlier, Your Honour, let me give a simple example to make it easier to understand. Suppose someone has difficulty socialising. They find social interaction very challenging, but they still make the effort to socialise. We already know from their history that they have always struggled with social interaction.
So, they mix and interact with other people, but once they are alone, they feel exhausted. They become tired because of the effort involved in masking. In such a situation, we can say that the person is masking rather than being their authentic self. Masking is also not something that can be sustained continuously and usually occurs only in certain situations.
Shahlan: Doctor, in Zara’s case, did you find that she was engaging in masking?
Dr Noor: After examining her history from birth until the final period of her life, I did not see any indication whatsoever of masking.
Shahlan: Dr Chua expressed the view that adolescents commonly engage in masking. Could you share your opinion on this?
Dr Noor: In my opinion, adolescents do not commonly engage in masking. However, adolescents, particularly those with high-functioning autism, often use masking to help them cope socially because their main difficulty lies in social interaction.
So, if they want to attend school, go to university or work in an office, they may mask so that they appear similar to everyone else.
To me, masking is not typical behaviour among children. I have been in this field for many years and have worked with children and adolescents from various backgrounds and with different conditions.
I have not found masking to be common among children or adolescents because they are generally still inclined to express themselves. If they want to speak, they speak.
If they react, sulk or get angry, they will display those behaviours. They do not need to mask or hide who they are.
The inquest continues.
