Traditional masculinity ideology, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, and treatment in service members and veterans: A systematic review.

Neilson, Elizabeth C.; Singh, Ratnesh; Harper, Kelly L.; Teng, Ellen J.

doi:10.1037/men0000257

Cited by 41 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Prior to a particularly traumatic event during service—usually in their late teens and early twenties—participants were in a prime position to exemplify hegemonic masculinity, given the dominant image of the man-as-warrior in Jewish-Israeli culture. Developing PTSS contradicts hegemonic expectations that require men to control their emotions, as it involves feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness (Neilson et al 2020). The mental treatment these men received post-trauma offered them alternative models for being a man, based on a “new masculinity” ideology rooted in the therapeutic discourse (Kaplan et al 2017), which emphasizes authenticity, self-awareness, and self-discovery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Military Masculinity toward Hybrid Masculinities: Constructing a New Sense of Manhood among Veterans Treated for PTSS

Spector-Mersel

Gilbar

2021

Men and Masculinities

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This study examines how Israeli men who are army veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress and consequently participated in therapy engage “new masculinities” ideologies. Drawing from interview data with these veterans, we find changes in the men’s perceptions of masculinity and sense of themselves as men. They expressed this shift through criticisms of military masculinity and disassociating from the idea of man-as-fighter, disputing the sociocultural category of hegemonic masculinity, and performing practices identified as feminine. The men portrayed this movement, away from endorsing hegemonic military masculinity toward affirming “new masculinity” ideology rooted in therapeutic discourse, which emphasizes sensitivity, emotional disclosure, self-care, and seeking help, as intertwined with their mental recovery—and they attributed both to therapy. These findings suggest that new masculinity ideology embedded in therapeutic discourse, can offer men suffering from PTSS a template to reaffirm their status as men—although men of a different kind—and indicate the possibilities for therapy in this endeavor. However, while the men adopted new masculinity ideologies, they also conformed to hegemonic masculinity, constructing hybrid masculinities. The study joins growing evidence that hybrid masculinities may have positive effects in enabling men to overcome the limitations of hegemonic masculinity, while also conforming to its expectations more broadly and maintaining men’s power.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Military Masculinity toward Hybrid Masculinities: Constructing a New Sense of Manhood among Veterans Treated for PTSS

Spector-Mersel

Gilbar

2021

Men and Masculinities

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“…Furthermore, a recent review examining 19 studies since 2015 also found that having masculine ideals and experiencing gender role stress were associated with more PTSD symptoms (Christiansen & Berke, 2020 ). Similarly, another systematic review of both quantitative and qualitative studies of masculinity and PTSD found stronger traditional masculine ideals were related to more PTSD symptoms (Neilson, Singh, Harper, & Teng, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Gender differences in a wide range of trauma symptoms after victimization and accidental traumas: a cross-sectional study in a clinical setting

Søegaard

Kan

Koirala

et al. 2021

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background There are large gender differences in PTSD prevalence. Gender differences in a wide range of trauma symptoms including disturbances in self-organization have not been extensively researched. Objective To explore gender differences in a wide range of trauma symptoms by comparing victimization trauma (VT) with accidental trauma (AT). Method A cross-sectional study of 110 traumatized patients attending a mental health outpatient clinic in Oslo, Norway (38.2% men, Mage = 40.4, 40% ethnic Norwegians). The trauma was categorized as VT or AT based on the Life Events Checklist. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-PTSD-module and Structured Interview for Disorders of Extreme Stress Not-Otherwise-Specified (DESNOS) assessed a wide range of trauma symptoms. First, we examined gender differences within the trauma categories, then MANCOVA for an adjusted two-by-two between-groups analysis. Results Among VT patients, men reported more symptoms of alteration of negative self-perception ( p = .02, ES = 0.50) and alteration in systems of meaning ( p < .01, ES = 1.04). Within the AT group, women reported more symptoms of affect and impulses ( p = .01, ES = 0.94). The VT-AT difference was significantly higher in men in intrusion ( p < .01, η 2 = 0.04), affect and impulses ( p < .01, η 2 = 0.12), negative self-perception ( p < .01, η 2 = 0.11), difficulty in relations ( p = .01, η 2 = 0.10) and alterations in systems of meaning ( p = .01, η 2 = 0.14). Conclusion: Comparing the VT-AT differences between the genders, men with VT had relatively more symptoms of intrusion, self-organization, identity, ideology/meaning, cognition, and relations difficulties. Effect sizes were moderate to large. Men may be relatively more vulnerable to VT than AT, while women may be more equally affected by VT and AT. Acknowledging possible gender differences in a wider range of trauma symptoms depending on trauma category may have clinical benefits

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“…Firefighters, who conform to a great extent to the male role norms, may experience shame as a reaction to trauma (where being affected by the trauma might be seen by one as being vulnerable, weak, thus not conforming to the male role norms), which is in turn associated with an increased tendency toward negative self-evaluation [ 80 ] and self-critical thinking [ 81 ], which may result in employing maladaptive styles of coping with shame. Taking the above into consideration, they may resort to aggression aimed at others (perceived as hypermasculine behavior) [ 82 ] to restore their self-worth [ 83 – 85 ], though at the same time this might decrease the levels of available social support and the sense of belongingness. They may also employ avoidance strategies e.g., firefighters suffering from PTSD may avoid social contacts (diminishing the chance of perceiving social support or obtaining it), and have a thwarted sense of belongingness [ 55 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many firefighters consider the expression of emotions (e.g. shame or sadness) as feminine and thus unacceptable [ 82 ], which, as a consequence, may lead to extreme callousness toward other people [ 74 ]. Besides, the necessity to communicate the need for support would involve the disclosure of one’s weakness which could cause the loss of self-esteem and respect in other people’s eyes [ 72 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results might yield important clinical implications—that psychological intervention ought to assess and target firefighters’ maladaptive beliefs concerning masculinity, which might be especially beneficial in the case of PTSD treatment. Firefighters with the positive screen for PTSD may be reluctant to express their emotions and face problems with emotion regulation [ 103 , 104 ]; their problems in this respect may be intensified by their willingness to live up to the social expectations concerning the performance of the traditional male role, that is why it is vital to take into consideration their masculinity in the treatment [ 47 , 82 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of the traditional male role norms on the posttraumatic stress disorder among Polish male firefighters

Jakubowski

Sitko-Dominik

2021

PLoS ONE

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Background The aim of this study was to explore potential associations between compliance with the traditional male role norms and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods The study was conducted on 135 male Polish firefighters. The study used the Impact Event Scale-Revised, the Relations/Social Support Scale and the Male Role Norms Scale. Results The study revealed that the firefighters that suffered from probable PTSD (over 34% of all the respondents) seemed to comply with the male role norms more strictly than those without PTSD. The reverse was found to be true for the perceived social support. Social status norms and toughness norms understood as expectations that men should achieve high status by means of successful career, etc., and be tough and resilient at all costs to be perceived as “manly” were found to be positively associated with the development of PTSD, while in the case of perceived social support, a negative association was confirmed. The results might yield important clinical implications—traditional male role norms pertaining to toughness and social status might be associated with the increase in chances of developing PTSD after the exposure to potentially traumatic events. Conclusions Firefighting as a stereotypically masculine occupation may be associated with the reinforcement of stereotypically masculine behaviors, which in turn is associated with a decreased ability to cope with potentially traumatic stimuli and favoring maladaptive behaviors. The results might suggest that addressing the beliefs about masculinity during psychological intervention in the case of PTSD might be beneficial especially among such masculinized groups as firefighters. The main limitations of the study are: participation of those more eager to participate and reveal personal information; the recall and report bias; the relatively small sample size; sociodemographic data omissions; the study group almost exclusively consisting of firefighters from large urban centers.

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Traditional masculinity ideology, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, and treatment in service members and veterans: A systematic review.

Cited by 41 publications

References 59 publications

From Military Masculinity toward Hybrid Masculinities: Constructing a New Sense of Manhood among Veterans Treated for PTSS

From Military Masculinity toward Hybrid Masculinities: Constructing a New Sense of Manhood among Veterans Treated for PTSS

Gender differences in a wide range of trauma symptoms after victimization and accidental traumas: a cross-sectional study in a clinical setting

The impact of the traditional male role norms on the posttraumatic stress disorder among Polish male firefighters

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