Over the past few decades, there have been calls to customize therapy for men. Researchers have increasingly become aware of the impact of masculinity on men and their psychological health, their willingness to seek help, and their experience of therapy. Recommendations have been published for how to enhance engagement and therapeutic change for men in counseling. This article systematically collected and examined recommendations for individual male-friendly therapy from 44 sources written over a 21-year period to identify common themes using qualitative methodology. The resulting 4 themes included knowledge about men, masculinity, and socialization; therapist critical self-awareness and commitment; masculinity-informed treatment adaptations; and masculinity-informed tasks and goals. The themes were discussed in relation to relevant research and similar diversity-sensitive approaches, including different ways that masculinity knowledge was incorporated into treatment and the ethical implications of targeting traditional masculinity for change. Increased empirical research on malefriendly counseling is needed to validate existing recommendations.
Physical activity and wellbeing in older adults is a global priority in combating negative economic consequences associated with population ageing. Quantitative research using a medicalised model clearly associates physical activity with physiological health benefits.However it is argued that a review of qualitative literature exploring individual experiences of active older adults can provide important insights into physical activity, ageing and wellbeing; specifically, how discourses of ageing and self-identity may interact with physical activity levels. A literature search on electronic databases PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and ProQuest was used to identify qualitative studies of older adults who exercise or engage in competitive sport. Findings reveal both groups tend to resist dominant negative stereotypes of ageing and view physical activity as central to self-identity. Yet approaches to ageing varied with the competitive sport group adopting a more negative view of the ageing process. Whilst results suggest that different levels of physical activity may impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of older adults, inconsistent definitions of exercise and competitive sport make it impossible to group these differences according to specific physical activity levels. More precise definitions of physical activity constructs in future research may provide a better understanding of these differences.Keywords: physical activity, exercise, sport, ageing, older adults PSYCHOSOCIAL WELLBEING 3 Psychosocial wellbeing in Active Older Adults:A systematic review of qualitative literature Fostering good health in older age is now considered an essential response to the global phenomenon of population ageing (WHO, 2012). Physical activity has been identified as a key component of good health in old age (Meisner, Dogra, Logan, Baker & Weir, 2010); physical health benefits include lower rates of cardiovascular disease (Leon, 2012), diabetes prevention and cancer prevention (Bauman, 2004), and improved cognitive functioning (Colcome & Kramer, 2003). It is predominantly these types of health outcome indicators that have led to government recommendations of physical activity levels in older adults (Sims et al., 2006), specifically that older adults aged 65 years or over "should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days" (p. 5, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2005). The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (2005) further recommends that "Older people who continue to enjoy a lifetime of vigorous physical activity should carry on doing so in a manner suited to their capability into later life" (p. 5). Whilst the physical health benefits of an active lifestyle should not be ignored, what is absent in the construction of these recommendations is the consideration of the psychosocial impacts of different levels of physical activity on the individual and society.The strength in findings for health benefits associated with olde...
With an increase in gender equality policies and gender balance targets within traditionally male professions, organisations such as the police service are experiencing changing demographics. How these shifts influence the construction of professional identity is unclear. Drawing on focus group data, this study aimed to explore identity construction of police officers across gender using a thematic analysis method. Two themes related to identity construction were found to be common to both male and female police officers: 'Working within a blue family' and 'Being a copper is a job for life'. However, the way in which these themes were articulated differed between male and female officers, with male officers experiencing more difficulty than female officers in terms of positioning their identity within the evolving police culture. The findings from this study have implications for gender policies in the workforce as they suggest that men may experience more difficulty that women in adjusting to a gender diverse workforce, and that professional identity within traditionally male professions is more complex and nuanced than what was previously assumed.
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