Australian men's initial pathways into mental health services

Seidler, Zac E.; Wilson, Michael J.; Walton, Courtney C.; Fisher, Krista; Oliffe, John L.; Kealy, David; Ogrodniczuk, John S.; Rice, Simon

doi:10.1002/hpja.524

Cited by 15 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Apart from these attitudinal barriers, structural barriers such as lacking financial resources, not knowing what to look for in a therapist, or not knowing where to get help have further been identified as important factors that potentially hinder men from engaging in treatment (Lynch et al, 2018; Seidler et al, 2020). Lastly, Seidler et al (2022) recently reported that anxiety was the main reason for why men started psychotherapeutic treatment among a large sample of Australian men. However, the present study is not able to give a conclusive answer on this topic since these factors were not included in the surveys used for this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between psychotherapy use, sexual orientation, and traditional masculinity among psychologically distressed men.

Eggenberger¹,

Komlenac²,

Ehlert³

et al. 2022

Psychology of Men & Masculinities

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Heterosexual-identified men, as compared to non-heterosexual-identified men, are less likely to seek out psychotherapy when experiencing psychological distress. Stronger endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies (TMI) has been reported to be associated with reduced psychotherapy use among men. However, the relationship between psychotherapy use, TMI, and sexual orientation needs to be explored. A total of 728 psychologically distressed men (59.9% heterosexual-identified, 40.1% non-heterosexual-identified) from German-speaking parts of Europe completed an online questionnaire asking about current psychotherapy use, endorsement of TMI, experienced gender role conflict (GRC), prototypical depression symptoms, and externalizing depression symptoms. In total 34.5% (n = 251) of the men were currently using psychotherapy, of which 47.4% (n = 119) identified as heterosexual and 52.6% (n = 132) as non-heterosexual. Heterosexual-identified men used psychotherapy less than non-heterosexual-identified men, while exhibiting lower prototypical depression symptoms but comparable externalizing depression symptoms. Additionally, heterosexual-identified men exhibited higher endorsement of TMI across all domains and experienced more masculine GRC, especially in the domains Success Concerns and Restricted Affection. Endorsement of TMI was associated with increased externalizing depression symptoms only among heterosexual-identified men. Logistic regression analyses showed stronger endorsement of TMI, increased externalizing depression symptoms, and identifying as heterosexual to be associated with reduced psychotherapy use. Men identifying as heterosexual with strong endorsement of TMI, and high externalizing depression symptoms have a reduced likelihood to use psychotherapy. Thus, challenging TMI and advocating for alternative masculinities that include health promoting behavior can especially help heterosexual-identified men with strong TMI.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between psychotherapy use, sexual orientation, and traditional masculinity among psychologically distressed men.

Eggenberger¹,

Komlenac²,

Ehlert³

et al. 2022

Psychology of Men & Masculinities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Far less attention has been paid to those men who do seek help, overcoming a plethora of both structural and attitudinal barriers in the process. Recent work in Australia has highlighted that up to 40% of help-seeking men are self-motivated in their initiation of contact with mental health services [ 10 ]. Yet additional Australian evidence reveals room for improvement in the extent to which practitioners are providing a service that meets men’s needs [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of the Men in Mind training for mental health practitioners to enhance their clinical competencies for working with male clients

et al. 2022

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Background Although the proportion of men seeking professional mental health care has risen over the past two decades, on average, men continue to attend fewer sessions of psychotherapy and are more likely to drop out of treatment prematurely compared to women. Men account for three-quarters of suicide deaths; furthermore, over half of the males who die by suicide have engaged with mental health care in the 12 months prior to their death. These findings highlight a need to equip mental health practitioners with skills to improve male clients’ engagement and mental health outcomes. This article reports the protocol for a randomized controlled trial of Men in Mind, a self-paced online training program purpose-built to advance the clinical competencies of practitioners who provide psychotherapy to male clients. Methods A randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups will be conducted. Participating practitioners will be randomly allocated, on a 1:1 basis, to the intervention group (Men in Mind training) or a waitlist control group. The primary outcome, efficacy of the training, will be evaluated by pre- to post-training (T1 to T2) changes in scores on the Engaging Men in Therapy Scale (EMITS) in the intervention group, relative to the control group. Discussion This trial will provide evidence of the efficacy of Men in Mind training, as an interim step towards adjusting content and delivery of the intervention to maximize the potential for sustaining and scaling. Trial registration: The trial was registered prospectively with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on 3rd December 2021 (ACTRN12621001669886).

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“…These advertisements appeared for participants in the normal advertising panes on Facebook, and they were free to choose whether or not to click through the advertisement. Advertisements contained the following text, adapted from our previous male-specific help-seeking surveys [ 33 ]: “ Survey for men: Have you had any difficulties with your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic? We want to hear about your experience.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Called When I Was at My Lowest”: Australian Men’s Experiences of Crisis Helplines

Trail

Wilson

Rice

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: Helplines are an accessible form of support for people struggling with difficulties in their lives and are key services in suicide prevention and intervention. Men’s experiences of telephone helplines are not well understood, despite high male suicide rates. Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey with N = 684 Australian men (aged 17–83 years, M = 50.13) using open- and closed-ended questions about their experiences of helplines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were analysed to investigate differences between men using and not using helplines. Qualitative responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Within the sample, 100 men (14.6%) had used a helpline service. Men using helplines were more likely to be unemployed and in younger age brackets than those not using helplines. They were also more likely to report experiencing stressors related to COVID-19, including financial stress and job loss, perceived impact on mental health and relationship breakdown. Qualitative analysis indicated varied experiences of helplines, with men shedding light on how their interaction with a counsellor, the structure of services and their expectations of the service impacted their experience. Conclusions: Further in-depth qualitative enquiry in this space is required, with the objective of understanding how helpline services may seek to better engage with male callers.

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Australian men's initial pathways into mental health services

Cited by 15 publications

References 43 publications

Association between psychotherapy use, sexual orientation, and traditional masculinity among psychologically distressed men.

Association between psychotherapy use, sexual orientation, and traditional masculinity among psychologically distressed men.

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of the Men in Mind training for mental health practitioners to enhance their clinical competencies for working with male clients

“I Called When I Was at My Lowest”: Australian Men’s Experiences of Crisis Helplines

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