BACKGROUND: Men's health help-seeking behaviours vary considerably depending on the context. The current empirical literature on the influence of masculinity on college men's attitudes towards mental health-related help-seeking is largely limited to investigations involving psychology students. AIM: To describe the connections between masculinities and college men's depression-related help-seeking. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 21 college men who were diagnosed or self-identified as depressed. Constant comparison was used to inductively derive gendered understandings about participants' depression-related help-seeking. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: (1) denying weakness; (2) limiting self-disclosure and mustering autonomy; and (3) redefining strength. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate connections between masculinities and help-seeking that can assist health care providers to understand the practices of college men who experience depression.
BACKGROUND:Men's health help-seeking behaviours vary considerably depending on the context. The current empirical literature on the influence of masculinity on college men's attitudes towards mental health-related help-seeking is largely limited to investigations involving psychology students. AIM: To describe the connections between masculinities and college men's depression-related help-seeking. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 21 college men who were diagnosed or self-identified as depressed. Constant comparison was used to inductively derive gendered understandings about participants' depression-related help-seeking. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: (1) denying weakness; (2) limiting self-disclosure and mustering autonomy; and (3) redefining strength. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate connections between masculinities and help-seeking that can assist health care providers to understand the practices of college men who experience depression.
Authors: Katrin Häggström Westberg; Maria Nyholm; Jens M Nygren; Petra Svedberg Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-01-27 Impact factor: 3.390