Gender norms and the mental health of boys and young men

Rice, Simon; Oliffe, John L.; Seidler, Zac E.; Borschmann, Rohan; Pirkis, Jane; Reavley, Nicola; Patton, George C

doi:10.1016/s2468-2667(21)00138-9

Cited by 46 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Engagement with mental health services is increasing for men in Australia but many of those at-risk of depression and suicidality are prematurely dropping out without informing their clinician because of a lack of progress/tailored treatments and connection with the therapist ( Seidler et al, 2021 ). Gender norms are being investigated in trials with boys and young men in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to determine the effect of mental health literacy programs (e.g., focused on helping a friend in sporting club settings) and facilitate positive attitude development toward help-seeking for mental health ( Rice et al, 2021 ). There are aims to broaden equity via socio-cultural adaptability of the programs (two school-based interventions and one online intervention).…”

Section: Summary Of Men’s Mental Health and Suicidalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential Impact of Adjunct Digital Tools and Technology to Help Distressed and Suicidal Men: An Integrative Review

Balcombe

Leo

2022

Front. Psychol.

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Suicidal men feel the need to be self-reliant and that they cannot find another way out of relationship or socioeconomic issues. Suicide prevention is of crucial importance worldwide. The much higher rate of suicide in men engenders action. The prelude is a subjective experience that can be very isolating and severely distressing. Men may not realize a change in their thinking and behaviors, which makes it more difficult to seek and get help, thereby interrupting a “downward spiral”. Stoicism often prevents men from admitting to their personal struggle. The lack of “quality” connections and “non-tailored” therapies has led to a high number of men “walking out” on traditional clinical approaches. But there are complicated relationships in motivations and formative behaviors of suicide with regards to emotional state, psychiatric disorders, interpersonal life events and suicidal behavior method selection. Middle-aged and older men have alternated as the most at-risk of suicide. There is no one solution that applies to all men, but digital tools may be of assistance (e.g., video conferences, social networks, telephone calls, and emails). Digital interventions require higher levels of effectiveness for distress and suicidality but self-guided approaches may be the most suitable for men especially where linked with an integrated online suicide prevention platform (e.g., quick response with online chats, phone calls, and emails). Furthermore, technology-enabled models of care offer promise to advance appropriate linking to mental health services through better and faster understanding of the specific needs of individuals (e.g., socio-cultural) and the type and level of suicidality experienced. Long-term evidence for suicidality and its evaluation may benefit from progressing human computer-interaction and providing impetus for an eminent integrated digital platform.

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Section: Summary Of Men’s Mental Health and Suicidalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential Impact of Adjunct Digital Tools and Technology to Help Distressed and Suicidal Men: An Integrative Review

Balcombe

Leo

2022

Front. Psychol.

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“…Notwithstanding this, perhaps all-boys school environments represent a particularly salient force that polices adherence to traditional norms; yet in spite of this, parents and teachers understand that often behaviors reflecting these norms can represent a state-based means to prove one’s masculinity to peers, rather than being indicative of fixed behavioral traits. These perceptions of group-level upholding of masculine codes of behavior were also observed by teachers interviewed in Jackson (2010 , p. 507), where teachers reported boys’ and young men’s adoption of a “pack mentality.” Echoing established scholarship regarding how gender justice can be advanced in schools ( Keddie, 2006 ), such findings speak to the value of group-based interventions for boys and young men, where space can be provided to expose the power and policing of peer expectations for their embodiments of masculinity ( King et al, 2021 ; Rice et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The school’s approach to wellbeing-science programs aims to personalize school-based wellbeing by applying a gendered lens to the PROPSER framework for incorporating positive psychology principles in education settings ( Noble and McGrath, 2015 ). This approach aims to do justice to the culturally determined factors (i.e., boys’ gender socialization) that impacts mental health promotion for boys and men ( Rice et al, 2021 ), especially in education settings ( Salmela-Aro, 2014 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Teacher and Parent Perspectives on School-Based Masculinities in Relation to Mental Health Promotion

Wilson

Gwyther²,

Simmons³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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The capacity for boys’ and young men’s mental health promotion to act via shifting masculine norms that are linked to poor mental health outcomes, highlights the need to improve the extent to which school-based programs can promote mental health through leveraging more positive embodiments of masculinity. To-date, the perspectives of parents and teachers on such processes are understudied. This qualitative study presents teacher and parent views regarding adolescent masculinities and avenues for school-based developmental programming for boys and young men. In this study, 16 individual qualitative interviews were undertaken with 10 parents (six females, four males), and six teachers (three females, three males), recruited from an independent all-boys’ grammar school in Melbourne, Australia. Thematic analysis of parents’ and teachers’ perspectives indicated their perception of the role of context-dependent “public” and “private” masculinities, the influence of Australian masculinity norms, and the role of private boys’ school cultures in the development of adolescent masculinities. Additionally, strategies for development encompassed participants’ appetite for boys’ exposure to positive role models, in addition to consistent and relevant developmental programming to support positive masculinity development. Findings have implications for efforts to support prosocial masculine identity development via school-based initiatives, as an avenue to promoting mental health of boys and young men.

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“…Attention to this problem would likely reduce rates of suicide among men, which globally eclipse suicide rates among women by a factor of two to four. 15 When extrapolating conservative prevalence rates of undetected and untreated sexual abuse, maladaptive coping strategies (e.g. substance use, aggression, risk-taking) that risk harm to self and others could be reduced in hundreds of millions of boys and men globally.…”

Section: Suggestions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…substance use, aggression, risk-taking) that risk harm to self and others could be reduced in hundreds of millions of boys and men globally. There is growing attention to the ways in which gender norms affect the social and emotional development of boys and men 15 and future tailored interventions and programme development for boys and men affected by sexual abuse must be cognisant and transformative of such norms. This extends to initial disclosure and help-seeking, tailoring of specialised services and clinical trials to improve long-term psychosocial functioning.…”

Section: Suggestions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual abuse and mental ill health in boys and men: what we do and don't know

et al. 2022

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Summary The spectrum of adverse mental health trajectories caused by sexual abuse, broadly defined as exposure to rape and unwanted physical sexual contact, is well-known. Few studies have systematically appraised the epidemiology and impact of sexual abuse among boys and men. New meta-analytic insights (k = 44; n = 45 172) reported by Zarchev and colleagues challenge assumptions that men experiencing mental ill health rarely report sexual abuse exposure. Adult-onset sexual abuse rates of 1–7% are observed in the general population, but for men experiencing mental ill health, adult lifetime prevalence was 14.1% (95% CI 7.3–22.4%), with past-year exposure 5.3% (95% CI 1.6–12.8%). We note that these rates are certainly underestimates, as childhood sexual abuse exposures were excluded. Boys and men with a sexual abuse history experience substantial disclosure and treatment barriers. We draw attention to population health gains that could be achieved via implementation of gender-sensitive assessment and intervention approaches for this at-risk population.

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Gender norms and the mental health of boys and young men

Cited by 46 publications

References 9 publications

The Potential Impact of Adjunct Digital Tools and Technology to Help Distressed and Suicidal Men: An Integrative Review

The Potential Impact of Adjunct Digital Tools and Technology to Help Distressed and Suicidal Men: An Integrative Review

Exploring Teacher and Parent Perspectives on School-Based Masculinities in Relation to Mental Health Promotion

Sexual abuse and mental ill health in boys and men: what we do and don't know

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