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Anxiety is the most prevalent mental disorder experienced by young men, and when untreated, is predictive of co‐morbid mental health challenges and suicide. Despite the rising prevalence, there is a conspicuous absence of qualitative research to distil and theorise young men's anxiety. Twenty‐five young Australian men (15–25 years), who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or self‐reported anxiety symptoms, took part in individual semi‐structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. A three‐process grounded theory (Resisting‐Reckoning‐Responding; Triple R Anxiety Model) depicted young men's experiences of anxiety, gilded and guided by their masculine socialisation. Initially, young men noticed somatic symptoms (i.e., headaches, nausea and myalgia) but did not connect these symptoms to anxiety. Avoiding anxiety (e.g., denying, distracting) proved unhelpful in the longer term and as symptoms diffused, a subsequent process of reckoning anxiety (i.e., meaning making) ensued. As young men gained insight to the life limiting bounds of their anxiety, some were prompted towards actions of acceptance, seeking help proactively and employing strength‐based adaptive coping strategies. This theoretical conceptualisation of young men's anxiety has the capacity to enhance identification and treatment efforts, improving young men's mental health outcomes across the lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Social support and resilient coping can aid mental health. The aim of this study was to examine age effects of social support on men's resilient coping for psychological distress. Methods: The sample consisted of 434 help‐seeking Canadian men who completed standardized measures. Regression analyses tested a moderated moderation model, controlling for COVID‐19 pandemic impact. Results: Greater resilient coping was associated with lower psychological distress and this relationship was moderated by social support. Higher levels of social support had a significant positive effect on men's resilient coping for psychological distress. Findings indicated that younger men (18–24 years) were most positively buffered by social support. Conclusions: Social support appears to be particularly important for young men's coping response to psychological distress. This is an important finding in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, where social support networks have been challenged. Community‐based and clinical programs and initiatives that proactively target young men's development of social connections and robust supportive networks, while bolstering their individual resilient coping skills, are likely to provide protections from psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicidal ideation (SI) is a known precursor to suicide among men. While loneliness and thwarted belongingness (TB) have been identified as key factors influencing SI, no study has reported on all three constructs to investigate whether loneliness is associated with SI by way of TB. Furthermore, it is not clear whether personality impairment has a moderating role on this process. The present study examined the impact of loneliness on SI among men and whether TB mediated this relationship. Additionally, the study investigated whether personality impairment (i.e., self‐functioning, interpersonal functioning) moderated the relationship between loneliness and TB. Canadian men (N = 434) completed an online survey that included self‐report assessments of the study constructs. Conditional process modeling was used to test the indirect effect of loneliness on SI via the mediating effect of TB. Findings indicated a significant association between loneliness and SI that was mediated by TB. Further, impairment in self‐functioning moderated the relationship between loneliness and TB, indicating that the relationship was stronger among men with greater difficulties in self‐functioning. The findings are important to consider within the COVID‐19 context, as they point to the need to reduce the detrimental impacts of loneliness, thereby potentially mitigating male SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men's emotions in intimate partner relationships have received little research attention. The current interpretive descriptive study included 30 Canadian‐based men to address the research question: What are the connections between masculinities and men's emotions in and after intimate partner relationships? Three inductively derived themes included emergent distressing emotions wherein participants' predominance for holding in abeyance their concerns about the relationship manifested varying levels of emotional stoicism. Within this context most men denied or downplayed and did not express their emotions. When the relationship broke, men were overwhelmed by mixed and weighty break‐up emotions comprising diverse and often‐times discordant emotions, including sadness, shame, anger, regret and guilt, calling into question men's rationality for deciphering and expressing what was concurrently but inexplicably felt. Shame and anger were prominent emotions demanding the participant's attention to all that happened in and at the end of the relationship. In the third theme, understanding and transitioning after‐burn emotions, participant's grief levered their efforts, including soliciting professional help for deconstructing, reframing and expressing their emotions in the aftermath of the partnership ending. The findings contextualise and in some instances counter claims about the utility of men's emotional stoicism by mapping participants' feelings in and after intimate partner relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: Many men are challenged by barriers to mental health help‐seeking and engagement. For men who do access care, their pathways to engaging services can offer important insights to what might constitute gender‐specific care. Methods: Data were drawn from an online cross‐sectional survey of N = 2009 Australian men (aged 16‐85; M = 43.5) reflecting on their initial pathways to mental health services, including their reasons for help‐seeking, how they first located a therapist and the source of any initial recommendation for engaging with services. Respondents were recruited with targeted advertisements via Movember's Facebook page. Results: A relatively even age distribution was observed, with most respondents residing in metropolitan areas (60.4%), a majority employed full time (47.7%), and 25.7% identifying as gay or bisexual. Participants tended to be self‐motivated to seek help, with referrals by general practitioners to specialist mental health services. The most common underpinning precipitant for seeking help was anxiety, particularly for younger men, whereas older men tended to have sought help more commonly for familial, relationship or work‐related factors. Older men were also more likely to report self‐motivated help‐seeking, whereas younger men more commonly sought help on the recommendation of a family member. Conclusions: There are varied pathways for men's initial mental health help‐seeking journeys that require an ongoing examination to ensure health promotion efforts are appropriately tailored and responding to men's needs. So what: As more men access mental health services, having a nuanced understanding of their likely pathways to care can inform the help‐seeking efforts of other men as well as guide improved services and systems to reduce barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: Health outcomes linked to men's relationships have the potential to both promote and risk the well‐being of males and their families. The current scoping review provides a synthesis of men's relationship programs (excluding criminal court mandated services) in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom to distil predominant program designs, access points, delivery modes and evaluative strategies. Methods: Databases CINAHL, Medline, PsycInfo and Web of Science were searched for eligible articles published January 2010 and June 2020. The inclusion criteria consisted of empirical studies focussed on relationship programs for men. Results: The review identified 21 articles comprising eight focussed on Fathering Identities as the Catalyst for Relationship Building and 13 targeting Men's Behaviour Change in Partner Relationships. Findings highlight the prevalence of group‐based, in‐person programs which men accessed via third party or self‐referrals. Fathering programs highlighted the impact of men's violence on their children in appealing to attendees to strategise behavioural adjustments. Men's partner relationship programs emphasised self‐control amid building strategies for proactively dealing with distress and conflict. Program evaluations consistently reported attendee feedback to gauge the acceptability and usefulness of services. Conclusions: That most men attending fathering and partner relationship programs were referred as a result of domestic violence and/or intimate partner violence underscores men's reticence for proactively seeking help as well as the absence of upstream relationship programs. There are likely enormous gains to be made by norming boys and men's relationship programs to prevent rather than correct violent and/or abusive behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Emerging research highlights that therapists experience difficulty engaging and retaining male clients in talk therapy. Understanding therapists' challenges when working with men can inform gender‐specific training efforts. Methods: Open‐ended qualitative survey data were collected from a sample of 421 Australian‐based therapists. Participants described that which they find most challenging about therapeutic work with men. Responses were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were revealed: (1) men's wavering commitment and engagement; (2) males as ill‐equipped for therapy; and (3) therapists' uncertainty. Contrasting state and trait constructs, much of the men's state‐based wavering commitment and engagement was positioned as amenable to change whereas traits assigned men as ill‐equipped for therapy and unreachable. Conclusion: These findings underscore a clear need to better target training efforts to directly respond to the needs of therapists working with men, such that all therapists are well‐equipped to meet men with gender‐sensitive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentalizing, or reflective functioning, refers to the capacity to reflect on one's own and others' mental states in terms of desires, intentions, and feelings. Reflective functioning in men's mental health is poorly understood, particularly in reference to men's resilience and motivation for personal growth. Using a cross‐sectional design, the present study investigated impaired reflective functioning in relation to resilience and personal growth initiative among men with mental health concerns. An online sample of 1065 men self‐reporting mental health concerns completed measures of reflective functioning, psychological distress, resilience, and personal growth initiative. Logistic regression examined reflective functioning in relation to likely serious mental illness, including interaction with age. Subsequent regression analyses controlled for distress severity in examining associations with resilience and personal growth initiative, and in examining the potential mediating role of reflective functioning. Impaired reflective functioning was significantly associated with serious psychological distress irrespective of age and, after controlling for distress severity, with resilience and personal growth initiative. Moreover, impaired reflective functioning was a significant mediator of the relationship between resilience and personal growth initiative. Findings provide preliminary support for reflective functioning as salient to men's resilience and agency for personal change, indicating a potentially important target in men's mental health work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: When a client feels a threat to their freedom or autonomy as a result of external feedback, they can act out and respond in maladaptive ways. This state—referred to as reactance—has potential ramifications on interpersonal functioning. However, the underlying factors exacerbating this response including self‐esteem and gender are yet to be extensively explored in a clinical sample. The present study examined whether verbal and/or behavioural reactance mediate the relationship between self‐esteem and interpersonal problems and if this mediational relationship differs between men and women. Method: Patients with personality dysfunction (N = 136) completed pretreatment assessments of reactance, self‐esteem, and interpersonal problems, and a conditional process model using these constructs was tested. Results: Findings indicated that the moderated mediation model was significant, pointing to behavioural reactance as a significant mediator in the association between self‐esteem and interpersonal problems. Furthermore, the findings revealed that gender moderated the relationship between self‐esteem and behavioural reactance, indicating that this association may apply specifically to men low in self‐esteem. Discussion: These results shed light on how behavioural reactance may be an important manifestation of low self‐esteem for men and a key contributor to their interpersonal problems. The findings draw attention to the importance of considering different factors at play when working with reactant individuals in therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the impact of demographic characteristics and masculinities on seeking support for psychosocial care needs in men with prostate cancer.Methods: Prostate cancer survivors (n = 225) completed mail-out surveys measuring psychological care needs, masculinities, and psychological and emotional help-seeking intention and behaviour at 6- and 12-month follow-ups.Results: Older age was associated with seeking help from a general practitioner (GP), χ2 (1,225) = 4.72, P = .03, and being born overseas was associated with seeking peer support (1,225) = 7.13, P = .01. Men with higher levels of optimistic action who reported moderate to high unmet psychological need were less likely to seek help for psychological and emotional concerns at 6- (odds ratio [OR] = 0.06, confidence interval [CI], 0.01-0.46) and 12-month (OR = 0.13, CI, 0.26-0.65) follow-ups.Conclusions: Optimistic action may explain why some men with prostate cancer fail to seek help for their psychological care needs. Clinicians should be aware that men with chronic illness who appear to approach challenges with optimistic action may in fact be less likely to seek psychological help when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In Canada, patients with haemophilia can receive health care through a limited number of specialized haemophilia treatment centres. Treatment of this X‐linked bleeding disorder through self‐infusion of factor replacement is common; however, some individuals with haemophilia require additional infusion support from medical professionals. While provincially funded outreach clinics and telehealth are available, pharmaceutical companies that supply factor have developed novel home infusion programs wherein registered nurses assist/manage factor administration in the patients' homes. Aim: The current qualitative evaluation explored the real‐world effectiveness and impact of the Be Involved (Pfizer Canada) home infusion service, from provider, program end‐user and needs analysis perspectives. Methods: Qualitative interviews with patients and caregivers who had used Be Involved (n = 7) and Be Involved Staff (n = 8) provided important insights and recommendations for program improvement initiatives. Also included were needs assessments of potential end‐users (n = 11) as a means to making program adjustments. Results: The inductively derived findings revealed Be Involved as a highly valued, though key specialized service providing significant assistance to a small number of haemophilia patients. Augmenting traditional services, the program was endorsed as easing the burden of haemophilia care, while the Be Involved nurses were affirmed as highly effective and critical to the program's success. A lack of program promotion and awareness was evident – limiting uptake, amid communication and systems delivery challenges. Conclusions: The current evaluation findings inform our recommendations for, and brief discussion of, the need for stronger promotional strategies and improved communication lines to increase the reach and efficiencies of the Be Involved program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The primary aim was to quantify, relative to older men, young men's externalizing of depression symptoms and past‐month suicidal ideation. Methods: A non‐probability national sample of 1000 Canadian men self‐reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms of depression and past‐month suicidal ideation. Stratification quotas reflected Canadian census data to age and region. Results: Young men (18‐25 years) were at markedly higher risk of past‐month suicidal ideation than were older men. When controlling for internalizing depression, a multivariate age × recent suicidal ideation interaction indicated higher externalizing of depression symptoms in young men relative to older men, especially for those reporting recent suicidal ideation (P < .001). Interactions were observed for drug use, anger and aggression, and risk‐taking domains. A sizable proportion of younger men were uniquely identified by the MDRS‐22. Conclusions: Screening tools that include assessment of externalizing symptoms may assist in improving detection of distress and suicide risk in young men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Psychosexual morbidity is common after prostate cancer treatment, however, long-term prospective research is limited. We report 5-year outcomes from a couples-based intervention in dyads with men treated for localised prostate cancer with surgery.Methods: A randomised controlled trial was conducted involving 189 heterosexual couples, where the man received a radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. The trial groups were peer support vs. nurse counselling versus usual care. Primary outcomes were sexual adjustment, unmet sexual supportive care needs, masculine self-esteem, marital satisfaction, and utilisation of erectile aids at 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year follow-up.Results: The effects of the interventions varied across the primary outcomes. Partners in the peer group had higher sexual adjustment than those in the usual care and nurses group at 2 and 3 years (P = 0.002-0.035). Men in usual care had lower unmet sexual supportive care needs than men in the peer and nurse groups (P = 0.001; P = 0.01) at 3 years. Women in usual care had lower sexual supportive care needs than women in the peer group at 2 and 3 years (P = 0.038; P = 0.001). Men in the peer and nurse group utilised sexual aids more than men in usual care; at 5 years 54% of usual care men versus 87% of men in peer support and 80% of men in the nurse group.Conclusion: Peer and nurse-administered psychosexual interventions have potential for increasing men's adherence to treatments for erectile dysfunction. Optimal effects may be achieved through an integrated approach applying these modes of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provision of gifts to new mothers in Uganda is laden with significance that varies by the social location of the giver and receiver and the context and conditions under which the gift is made available. Here, we examine the act of gift giving and receiving within a Ugandan maternity care setting, describing the connections between these material objects and social relations. A study investigating the social organisation of maternity care in post-conflict northern Uganda found that gift-giving to new mothers functioned to create a material and discursive context wherein women's desire to access these goods was leveraged to create an incentive to attend formal maternity care during pregnancy and for delivery. In this article we describe the material and discursive processes surrounding gift-giving to new mothers in this global South health care setting. This article contributes critical analyses of the function of gifts in healthcare settings as constructing shared identities, social differences and normative values about health citizenship, and an incentive politic that affects equitable access to maternity care. Drawing on intersectional theory and analysis of how specific practices function ideologically to reward or incentivise pregnant women, we integrate material culture studies into the sociology of women's reproductive health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented on a study concerning the role of exercise for improving psychosocial health in men suffering from prostate cancer.

The purpose of this research was to explore the role of masculinity and heterosexual gender relations in new and expectant fathers' explanations of their continued smoking. We conducted a secondary analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 fathers. Two themes were identified: (1) reconciling with partners to maintain a smoke-free family home; and (2) smoking to self-regulate emotions and maintain relationships. Fathers' decisions to smoke and changes in smoking behavior were shaped by ideals of masculinity and by partner relationships and family and social contexts, including division of domestic duties and childcare. Recognizing the influence of both masculinity and gender relations could provide new directions for supporting men's smoking cessation efforts during early parenthood. © 2014 The Authors. Research in Nursing & Health Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of male farmers' mental health raises many concerns including high rates of psychological distress and suicide amid the poor uptake of health services among this subgroup. Gender is an important social determinant of health, and this paper provides an overview of connections between farming and masculinities in the context of men's mental health disorders. This scoping review summarises findings drawn from 46 studies to discuss male farmers' mental health disorders, psychosocial interventions and barriers to help-seeking. In providing the review, recommendations are made including the need for an array of study and intervention approaches to advance the mental health and well-being of male farmers and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this research was to describe Punjabi Sikh patients' perceived barriers to engaging in physical exercise following myocardial infarction ( MI). Design and Sample A qualitative, interpretive descriptive methodology was used. The sample included 15 Punjabi Sikh patients who were attending a cardiac rehabilitation education program in an urban center of British Columbia, Canada, following MI. Measurements Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and were audio recorded, translated from Punjabi to English, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using an interpretive thematic approach that involved a process of coding and constant comparison. Results Four key factors emerged that related to participants' perceived barriers to sustained engagement in physical activity: (1) difficulty in determining safe exertion levels independently; (2) fatigue and weakness; (3) preference for 'informal' exercise; and (4) migration-related challenges. Conclusions The findings have implications for the design and delivery of health promotion strategies aimed at Punjabi Sikh patients' post- MI that is contingent on the use of 'formal' exercise settings to promote regular physical activity. The willingness among Punjabi Sikh patients to practise brisk walking offers a positive direction that public health nurses and other healthcare professionals may want to capitalize on in the delivery of exercise-related health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To explore how wheelchair-related factors, mobility, and participation are associated in a sample of long-term care residents who use wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Eleven residential care facilities in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Participants One hundred forty-six self-responding residents and 118 proxy respondents: mean age 84 (range 60-103). Most were female (69%), and a small proportion (9%) drove a power wheelchair. Measurements The Nursing Home Life Space Diameter Assessment was used to measure resident mobility, and the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument: Disability Component was used to measure participation frequency in daily activities. Results Path analysis indicated that wheelchair-related factors were associated with participation frequency directly and indirectly through their relationship with mobility. The final model explained 46% of the variance in resident mobility and 53% of the variance in resident participation frequency. Wheelchair skills, which include the ability to transfer in and out of and propel a wheelchair, were important predictors of life-space mobility and frequency of participation, and life space mobility was a significant predictor of frequency of participation. Depression was associated with poorer wheelchair skills and mobility and less-frequent participation. Counterintuitively, perceived environmental barriers were positively associated with frequency of participation. Conclusion The findings suggest that, by addressing wheelchair-related factors, resident's mobility and participation may be improved, but the efficacy of this approach needs to be confirmed experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further understand men’s continued smoking during their partner’s pregnancy and the postpartum period, a study was undertaken to explore women’s perspectives of men’s smoking. Using a gender lens, a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews with 27 women was completed. Women’s constructions of men’s smoking and linkages to masculine and feminine ideals are described. The findings highlight the ways women position themselves both as defenders and regulators of men’s smoking. Femininities that aligned women with hegemonic masculine principles underpinned their roles in relation to men’s smoking and presented challenges in influencing their partner’s tobacco reduction. By positioning the decision to quit smoking as a man’s solitary pursuit, women reduced potential relationship conflict and managed to maintain their identity as a supportive partner. Insights from this study provide direction for developing gender-specific tobacco reduction initiatives targeting expectant and new fathers. Indeed, a lack of intervention aimed at encouraging men’s tobacco reduction has the potential to increase relationship tensions, and inadvertently maintain pressure on women to regulate fathers’ smoking. This study illustrates how gender-based analyses can provide new directions for men’s health promotion programmes and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, STI rates are high and rising, especially amongst young men. Meanwhile, the needs of young men regarding STI testing services are poorly understood, as are the socio-cultural and structural factors that influence young men’s sexual health-seeking behaviours. To better understand this phenomenon, we draw on interviews with 45 men (ages 15-25) from British Columbia, Canada. Our research reveals how structural forces ( e.g. STI testing procedures) interact with socio-cultural factors ( e.g. perceptions of masculinities and feminities) to shape young men’s experiences with STI testing. STI testing was characterised as both a potentially sexualised experience ( e.g. fears of getting an erection during genital examinations), and as a process where young men experience multiple vulnerabilities associated with exposing the male body in clinical service sites. In response, participants drew on dominant ideals of masculinity to reaffirm their predominately hetero-normative gender identities. Despite growing up in an era where sexual health promotion efforts have been undertaken, participants did not feel they had permission to engage in discussions with other men about sexual health issues. Attending to young men’s perspectives on STI testing represents a starting point in reforming our approaches to addressing how socio-cultural and structural factors shape these experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Many commentaries about men's health practices and masculinities indicate that men do not typically engage with self-health or acknowledge illness, let alone openly discuss their health concerns with other men. Prostate cancer support groups (PCSGs) appear to run contrary to such ideals, yet the factors that influence men's attendance and engagement at group meetings are poorly understood. As part of a larger PCSG study, we noticed that humor was central to many group interactions and this prompted us to examine the connections between humor, health, and masculinities. Methods: A qualitative ethnographic design was used to direct fieldwork and conduct participant observations at the meetings of 16 PCSGs in British Columbia, Canada. Individual semi-structured interviews were completed with 54 men who attended PCSGs to better understand their perceptions about the use of humor at group meetings. Results: Four themes, disarming stoicism, marking the boundaries, rekindling and reformulating men's sexuality, and when humor goes south were drawn from the analyses. Overall, humor was used to promote inclusiveness, mark the boundaries for providing and receiving mutual help, and develop masculine group norms around men's sexuality. Although there were many benefits to humor there were also some instances when well-intended banter caused discomfort for attendees. Conclusions: The importance of group leadership was central to preserving the benefits of humor, and the specificities of how humor is used at PCSGs may provide direction for clinical practice and the design of future community-based men's health promotion programs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite much attention on women's efforts to reduce or stop smoking during pregnancy and postpartum, less attention has been directed to fathers’ experiences in modifying their smoking. Using narrative methods, interviews with 29 new fathers were examined to identify different ways in which men approached reducing or quitting smoking. Four storylines were identified: the cold turkey storyline framed quitting smoking as a snap decision with no need for support or smoking cessation aids; the planned reduction storyline focused on building up reasons to quit and developing detailed strategies to enhance the likelihood of success; the baby as the patch storyline dramatised how the baby displaced the need to smoke, increased motivation for cessation and enhanced success; and, finally, a story of forced reduction that highlighted difficulties with smoking cessation for a highly addicted smoker and the tension and conflict this created in his relationship with his partner. Common to all the storylines was the men's reluctance to rely on smoking cessation resources; instead, self-reliance, willpower, and autonomy figured more prominently in their narratives. The findings from this study support developing gender-sensitive tobacco reduction interventions for fathers who smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]