Summary of main findings
Summary of research
High suicide rates, a rising prison population and increases in substance misuse are all problems that men are disproportionately affected by according to previous research. However, previous research also found that men were less likely than women to intend to seek help for psychological distress. Understanding men’s reluctance to seek help is of great importance and this study was designed to investigate some of the reasons as to why this may be the case. Our study investigated the associations between two elements of male experience and men’s help seeking intentions for psychological distress at two different levels of severity. The two elements of male experience used in our study were how much men adhere to typical male beliefs e.g. being self-reliant (in the research literature this is called conformity to masculine norms) and men's ability to monitor their own and others feelings, discriminate among them and use them to guide thinking and actions (this is called emotional intelligence). We also examined which elements of masculinity and emotional intelligence predicted help seeking intentions.
Findings
Men with higher levels of emotional intelligence were less likely to conform to masculine norms and were more likely to seek help and were more likely to be graduates and in full or part-time work. Men with lower levels of emotional intelligence conformed more to masculine norms and were less likely to seek help, and were more likely to be unemployed and aged 18-24. Men aged over 45 were found to be more likely to seek help from a mental health professional. Men aged under 25 were found to be more likely to not seek any help, either from friends and family or from professionals. Controlling emotions was found to be a significant predictor of help seeking intentions. Findings demonstrated that emotional intelligence, conformity to masculine norms and help seeking intentions are associated with each other, and furthermore that help seeking intentions are predicted significantly by aspects of both.
Conclusion
Significant associations between the variables in our study have revealed a concerning picture of men's mental well being, particularly of those men who are least likely to seek help. These results could help us to understand why some men choose not to seek help when feeling distressed and perhaps why some outcome statistics for men are poorer than for women (higher suicide rates, substance misuse and prison population). However, more research is needed to understand these associations further. It is clear that a focus on men's well being will likely bring benefits not only for men, but for society in general.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all of the men who chose to participate in our study. In due course, the results will be written up and submitted for publication in a peer reviewed scientific journal. This website and our Twitter feed will keep you updated on the progress of this process.
High suicide rates, a rising prison population and increases in substance misuse are all problems that men are disproportionately affected by according to previous research. However, previous research also found that men were less likely than women to intend to seek help for psychological distress. Understanding men’s reluctance to seek help is of great importance and this study was designed to investigate some of the reasons as to why this may be the case. Our study investigated the associations between two elements of male experience and men’s help seeking intentions for psychological distress at two different levels of severity. The two elements of male experience used in our study were how much men adhere to typical male beliefs e.g. being self-reliant (in the research literature this is called conformity to masculine norms) and men's ability to monitor their own and others feelings, discriminate among them and use them to guide thinking and actions (this is called emotional intelligence). We also examined which elements of masculinity and emotional intelligence predicted help seeking intentions.
Findings
Men with higher levels of emotional intelligence were less likely to conform to masculine norms and were more likely to seek help and were more likely to be graduates and in full or part-time work. Men with lower levels of emotional intelligence conformed more to masculine norms and were less likely to seek help, and were more likely to be unemployed and aged 18-24. Men aged over 45 were found to be more likely to seek help from a mental health professional. Men aged under 25 were found to be more likely to not seek any help, either from friends and family or from professionals. Controlling emotions was found to be a significant predictor of help seeking intentions. Findings demonstrated that emotional intelligence, conformity to masculine norms and help seeking intentions are associated with each other, and furthermore that help seeking intentions are predicted significantly by aspects of both.
Conclusion
Significant associations between the variables in our study have revealed a concerning picture of men's mental well being, particularly of those men who are least likely to seek help. These results could help us to understand why some men choose not to seek help when feeling distressed and perhaps why some outcome statistics for men are poorer than for women (higher suicide rates, substance misuse and prison population). However, more research is needed to understand these associations further. It is clear that a focus on men's well being will likely bring benefits not only for men, but for society in general.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to all of the men who chose to participate in our study. In due course, the results will be written up and submitted for publication in a peer reviewed scientific journal. This website and our Twitter feed will keep you updated on the progress of this process.