A Meta-Study of Black Male Mental Health and Well-Being

Watkins, Daphne C.; Walker, Robert; Griffith, Derek M.

doi:10.1177/0095798409353756

Cited by 104 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Conversely, Hammond and Mattis’ research on African American men's notions of manhood characterized how men think about what it means to be a man 5 , but did not explore how African American men think about health. While some work has been done to link masculinity with mental health and help-seeking 66-72 , most of these prior studies have included younger, White men in college, limiting our understanding of these constructs and the generalizability of their findings 73 . Few studies have incorporated developmentally-appropriate notions of manhood or examined masculinity in relation to physical health behaviors 6 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

Griffith

Brinkley‐Rubinstein

Bruce

et al. 2015

Family &Amp; Community Health

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In this paper we explore themes that cut across how 24-77 year old African American men define manhood and health. Utilizing a thematic approach, we analyzed data from nine focus groups (N=73). We found that manhood and health were relational constructs that are interrelated in men's minds and experiences. Manhood and health were defined by the characteristics men embody, the behaviors men engage in and the goals and values men had to positively influence their families and communities. Thus, manhood and health are interdependent constructs and their interrelationship should be considered in efforts to promote African American men's health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

Griffith

Brinkley‐Rubinstein

Bruce

et al. 2015

Family &Amp; Community Health

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“…The difficulty middle-aged African American men face in seeking to fulfill provider role obligations has been shown to compromise family satisfaction (Orbuch & Custer, 1995) as well as men’s psychological health and overall well-being (Bowman, 1989). For most other groups of men and women, socioeconomic status is negatively related to stress and health, but African American men’s socioeconomic status is positively related to stress (Watkins, Walker, & Griffith, 2010; Williams, 2003). Future research should consider addressing these stressors and strains as a part of interventions to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles in African American men.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men on the Move

2013

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Despite the important contribution increasing physical activity levels may play in reducing chronic disease morbidity and mortality, there is a paucity of interventions and research indicating how to improve physical activity levels in African American men. Men on the Move was a pilot study to increase African American men’s levels of physical activity by improving access to age and ability-appropriate, male-focused physical activity opportunities and facilitating access to social support from male peers. Forty-one African American men ages 35 to 70 enrolled (mean age = 53.8). Groups of 5 to 10 men met once a week with a certified personal trainer for 10 weeks. Each meeting addressed barriers to physical activity, provided men with community resources, and incorporated activities that promoted flexibility, strength, balance, and conditioning. Improvements (p < .05) were detected for the following outcome measures: perceived self-efficacy to sustain physical activity, endurance, overall health status, and stress level. Physiological and fitness outcome measures improved, although not to significant levels. Whereas 40% of the men met the recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity weekly at baseline, 68% of the men met this recommendation by the end of the project. These positive results attest to the feasibility of successfully engaging middle-aged and older African American men in a physical activity intervention, and our findings demonstrate the initial efficacy of this intervention approach. More research is needed that includes a more intensive intervention and one that helps motivate men to be physically active outside of the structured, small-group sessions.

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“…7,41 These challenges may help explain why socioeconomic status is inversely related to stress for African American women but as African American men's socioeconomic status improves, they tend to endure more stress. 41,45,46 In addition to pursing success along the respectability dimension, minority men use health behaviors to demonstrate prowess along a reputational dimension -the social and cultural dimensions of traditional masculinity (ie, virility, sexual prowess, risk-taking, physical strength, hardiness, alcohol/ substance use/ abuse) -that may increase their risk of morbidity and mortality. 40 What is critical to recognize in this conceptualization of masculinity is that minority men are expected to balance gendered expectations and achieve success along both respectable and reputational dimensions across the life course.…”

Section: What Is Manhood?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“I AM a Man”: Manhood, Minority Men’s Health and Health Equity

Griffith

2015

Ethn Dis

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Objective: To consider how manhood is a key social determinant of minority men’s health.Design: This commentary explicates how manhood intersects with other determinants of health to shape minority men’s stress responses, health behaviors and health outcomes across the life course.Results: Manhood, which perpetually needs to be proven, is an aspirational identity that is defined by the intersection of age, race/ethnicity and other identities. Minority men seek to and successfully embody US-cultural and ethnic-specific aspects of manhood in their daily lives by engaging in behaviors that constantly reaffirm their gender identity through a complex internal and social calculus that varies by intra-personal characteristics and context. Manhood and health are relational constructs that highlight how the salience of masculinities are shaped by perceived and actual social norms and expectations. A life course perspective adds a framework for considering how some gendered beliefs, goals and behaviors change over time while others remain static. Three life course frameworks highlight different mechanisms through which minority men’s life experiences and physiological and behavioral responses to gendered social norms, beliefs and expectations become embodied as premature mortality and other health outcomes over the life course.Conclusion: Manhood represents an important lens to understand how minority men’s identities, goals and priorities affect their health, yet the role of manhood in minority men’s health is understudied and underdeveloped. To achieve health equity, it is critical to consider how manhood shapes minority men’s lives and health across the life course, and to address how manhood affects gendered and non-gendered mechanisms and pathways that explain minority men’s health over time. Ethn Dis. 2015;25(3):287-293.

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A Meta-Study of Black Male Mental Health and Well-Being

Cited by 104 publications

References 70 publications

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

Men on the Move

“I AM a Man”: Manhood, Minority Men’s Health and Health Equity

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