Faux masculinities among college men who experience depression

Abstract

Depression is a significant problem among college men that can be complicated by masculine ideals of stoicism, reluctance to seek help, and risky self-management strategies. Underpinning these issues are complexities in recognizing what behaviors might be indicative of college men's depressive symptoms. Findings drawn from a qualitative study of 25 Canadian-based college men who self-identified or were diagnosed with depression revealed three predominant masculine identities: the angry man; the solitary man; and the risk-reliant man. Within each of these themes men embodied aspects of idealized masculinity that were difficult to distinguish as symptoms of depression or as representative of the activities with which many college men partake. The angry man identity described men who expressed anger, at least in part, to dissipate depression invoked pain and emotional distress. The solitary man category included men who self-isolated, fearing that others would recognize and judge them as harboring depression. Risk-reliant men employed strategies including alcohol and other drug overuse rather than relinquish control by engaging with professional health care providers and services. Guided by the overall findings we argue this phenomenon as 'faux masculinities' - characterized by men's engagement in practices consistent with idealized masculine identities but that emerge from and/or in response to the experience of depression. Faux masculinities are discussed within the context of the challenges posed for college men and their health care providers in pointing toward targeted depression interventions.

Men's Views on Depression: A Systematic Review and Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research

“…Metasynthesis comprises various approaches and techniques. We followed the metaethnographic approach in the sense of a systematic comparison and translation of qualitative findings introduced by Noblit and Hare [41] and Sandelowski and Barroso [15] as guidelines for qualitative metasynthesis including taxonomic analysis and constant targeted comparison. According to the interpretative paradigm, qualitative research aims at understanding the meaning of specific phenomena.…”

“…Within the scope of the burden imposed by normative gender expectations, issues in the work context appeared as particularly important in men's accounts of depression. Paid work and success were often reported as evidence of masculinity in terms of the role as breadwinner and protector of families, and the financial situation was assessed as a mirror of men's "relative worth" [25,35,[38][39][40][41] . Gay men constructed depression as a mismatch between their goals and ambitions regarding performance or success as enacted in the working context and their experiences of not meeting these social expectations [40] .…”

What do counsellors need to know about male depression?

“…Nevertheless, this leaves men feeling rejected and isolated (Ramirez & Badger, 2014). It also possibly results in the externalisation of depression in men in ways that reflect compliance with conventional idealised masculinities (Oliffe, Galdas, Han, & Kelly, 2012). For example, men may be expressing their depression as anger or through somatic symptoms (Addis, 2008;Addis & Mahalik, 2003;Hoy, 2012), as is the case with Jez in the aforementioned client scenario.…”

“…For example, men may be expressing their depression as anger or through somatic symptoms (Addis, 2008;Addis & Mahalik, 2003;Hoy, 2012), as is the case with Jez in the aforementioned client scenario. Alternatively, depressed men may be resorting to the use of psychotropic substances or alcohol (Addis, 2008;Ridge et al, 2011) or other risk-taking behaviour (Lester, 2014) or even by isolating themselves (Oliffe et al, 2012). Such unhealthy practices are a way of showing defiance, resilience, autonomy and strength (Sloan et al, 2010).…”

Men’s mental health: Connection to urologic health

“…12,20,21 Maladaptive coping Unfortunately, this initial idealized masculine response to mental health problems can evolve over time into adverse coping behaviours. 22 When faced with the choice of seeking help and the perceived change in masculine identity, men are more likely to self-medicate with illicit drugs, abuse alcohol, work excessively or participate in infidelity. 18 This manifestation of emotional repression is deemed by the man as more socially acceptable than traditional characteristics of depression.…”