“We have friends, for example, and he will not get a vasectomy”: Imagining the self in relation to others when talking about sterilization.

Abstract

Objective: The relatively recent interest in critical men's health research has largely focused upon men's experiences of managing or preventing ill health. There has been limited discussion on the decision making that men engage in with health practices that are not constructed as immediately imperative for their own well-being -such as vasectomy. Much of the research on vasectomy has tended to focus on the individualised decision making men, which can often decontextualize the process. This article seeks to address some of these absences.Design: This article reports on data from semi-structured interviews with twenty eight men who had had vasectomies (16 with children, 12 without). Data were analysed using Wetherell and Edley's synthetic approach to discourse analysis.Results: Talking about vasectomy provided an opportunity for men to make sense of the self and the decision making processes within a complex and relational understanding of masculinities.Rather than an individualised decision making process, many of the men's accounts were reliant on stories of other men who the participants could be compared against.Conclusions: Men made sense of an 'optional' health decision in relation to other men (both real and imagined), in order to help justify delays, or other 'trouble' in the decision making processes. Men's health initiatives and research may need to take this relational component of health decision-making into account.2

Men’s Vasectomy Knowledge, Attitudes, and Information-Seeking Behaviors in the Southern United States: Results From an Exploratory Survey

“…In either case, the ways that men gather information about vasectomy and tell others about it is a compelling area for exploration. Research in New Zealand, England, and Mexico reports that there is a social element in talking about vasectomy and that peers could be a source of social support and inclusion when it came to men’s vasectomy decision-making ( Amor et al, 2008 ; Gutmann, 2005 ; Terry & Braun, 2013 ). Future research might examine peer-to-peer interactions to understand the interpersonal dynamics around vasectomy decision-making and disclosure.…”

“If you don’t take a stand for your life, who will help you?”: Men’s engagement in HIV care in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

“…For example, men may adopt a “heroic” male role when electing to engage in health care for certain procedures (Terry & Braun, 2013). In addition, men engaged in health care may find masculine cues from their health care provider, finding acceptance in their diagnoses or treatment options by trusting the provider’s sense of expertise earned by presented masculine ideals (Mróz, Oliffe, & Davison, 2013).…”

“Suddenly, bang, one day there's commitment with a woman…” Men, vasectomy and the life course

“…This paper analyses qualitative data from single oneto-one interviews with men who had had a vasectomy, and is part of a larger study on men describing their vasectomies in the Aotearoa/New Zealand context (Terry & Braun, 2011aTerry & Braun, 2013). Sixteen participants had undergone a ' typical ' vasectomy (i.e., were partnered and had children), 12 participants had undergone a ' pre-emptive ' vasectomy (i.e., identifying themselves as childfree and wishing to make this permanent) and 6 participants were in the process of deciding whether to have a vasectomy.…”

“…Many men spoke about vasectomy as a decision that occurred in relation to other men (Terry & Braun, 2013), and that this provided a useful indicator of where they were supposed to be in their own life course. Within this framing, reproductive decision making becomes defi ned by the cohort one identifi es with, emphasising the relational nature of reproductive choices.…”

“…The little existing research on men ' s reproductive health within the social sciences tends to focus upon problems or diffi culties rather than the ' normative ' or everyday features of men ' in health ' (Terry & Braun, 2013). In this, it is far too typical of the broad domain of men ' s health (Gough & Robertson, 2010).…”