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Gender and attitudes about mental health help seeking: results from National Data
- Authors:
- WENDT Douglas, SHAFER Kevin
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 41(1), 2016, pp.e20-e28.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Men often express less emotion than women do, are hesitant to express weakness, and seek professional help much less frequently than do their female counterparts. The lack of help seeking is common across characteristics such as age, race, ethnicity, and nationality. Authors used data from the 2006 General Social Surveys mental health module to suggest that the gender gap in help seeking may be rooted in attitudes regarding help-seeking behaviours generally. Using structural equation modeling, the authors linked vignette type (depression and schizophrenia) to the endorsement of help seeking from informal and formal sources. Men showed similar support for informal help seeking regardless of the problem but were less likely to endorse formal help for depression. Furthermore, men were no more or less likely than women to endorse help seeking if the individual in the vignette was male or female. Results show some support for the hypothesis that men are less prone than women to display positive help-seeking attitudes, particularly related to common mental health issues. This may help researchers and clinicians better understand the numerous barriers to men’s help seeking. (Edited publisher abstract)
Men's mental health: a call to social workers
- Authors:
- SHAFER Kevin, WENDT Douglas
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 60(2), 2015, pp.105-112.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The status of men's mental health and its resulting effect on individuals, families, and communities are often overlooked by social workers. This article documents the prevalence of common mental health issues among men in the United States, the unique problems that men face, and help-seeking behaviours. They also discuss how social work is in an exceptional position to help men, and the systemic effects that social work practice with men can have. The authors assert that helping improve men's mental health is critical for social work, particularly given its values recognizing the dignity and worth of all individuals. Their goal is to raise awareness and spark an open dialogue about social work practice with men. (Edited publisher abstract)