Drive for muscularity and help-seeking: The mediational role of gender role conflict, self-stigma, and attitudes.

Abstract

Men with greater gender role conflict (GRC) tend to exhibit a variety of body image concerns, including a drive for muscularity (DM). In accordance with the theory of planned behavior (TPB), men with higher levels of GRC also report negative attitudes and a lack of intentions to seek help for problems. Additionally, prior research regarding other individual and contextual help-seeking related variables has shown that men with higher GRC report increased stigma of both seeking help and having mental health problems, as well as greater concrete barriers to help-seeking. In this study, 176 undergraduate men were assessed for GRC, DM, and help-seeking-related variables including attitudes, intention to seek help, self-stigma of seeking help, self-stigma regarding mental health problems, and concrete barriers to seeking help. Results indicate that GRC is positively correlated with DM and negatively correlated with help-seeking variables. Mediation analyses suggest a relationship between DM, GRC, and help-seeking. Specifically, results demonstrate that GRC mediates the relationship between DM and intentions to seek help, thus explaining why men with body image concerns may be less likely to utilize treatment. In addition, self-stigma of seeking help and attitudes toward seeking help emerged as mediating factors between GRC and intentions to seek help. Intervention strategies aimed at increasing help-seeking behavior for men who suffer from body image concerns, and disordered eating and exercise behaviors, may benefit from targeting stigmatization and attitudes toward seeking help.

Burnout and Stigma of Seeking Help in Lithuanian Mental Health Care Professionals

“…Usually studies support the idea that women possess more positive attitudes towards mental help and counselling than men due to the traditional male gender role (Vogel, Wade, & Hackler, 2007). Men are expected to be independent, strong and controlling, therefore seeking of mental help threatens their self-esteem (Shepherd, & Rickard, 2012). Contradictory results might be explained by the small number of male participants in our sample.…”

“…(2) Is this relation sensitive to socio-demographic and organizational factors? Former studies propose that socio-demographic factors have non-significant impact on burnout (Bria et al, 2012), whereas help seeking stigma might be gender, culture or ethnicity biased (Cheng, Kwan, & Sevig, 2013;Shepherd, & Rickard, 2012). Also some researchers found out that psychiatrists and non-medical mental health professionals differ in burnout levels (Volpe et al, 2014).…”

Associations between body dissatisfaction and self-reported anxiety and depression in otherwise healthy men: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…For example, men may avoid counselling and express dominance over others as compensatory behaviour for their perceptions of their own bodies [55]. Shepherd and Rickard [57] found that men with an increased drive for muscularity are less likely to seek help for their body dissatisfaction, which increases the risk of poor mental health. Consequently, these feelings and behaviours could worsen if associated with anxiety and depression, as they could intensify men's vulnerability caused by body dissatisfaction, and ultimately lead to a breakdown in relationships and negativity in social settings.…”

Stigma, attitudes, and intentions to seek mental health services in college student-athletes

“…Gender role conflict has been consistently identified as having an association with more negative attitudes toward counseling (e.g., Pederson & Vogel, 2007;Shepherd & Rickard, 2012;Wester, Arndt, Sedivy, & Arndt, 2010). This issue has been studied almost exclusively in men as a method of further exploring how masculine norms might influence attitudes.…”