scholarly journals Reviewing the Assumptions About Men’s Mental Health: An Exploration of the Gender Binary

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena T. Smith ◽  
Dawne M. Mouzon ◽  
Marta Elliott

Many researchers take for granted that men’s mental health can be explained in the same terms as women’s or can be gauged using the same measures. Women tend to have higher rates of internalizing disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety), while men experience more externalizing symptoms (i.e., violence, substance abuse). These patterns are often attributed to gender differences in socialization (including the acquisition of expectations associated with traditional gender roles), help seeking, coping, and socioeconomic status. However, measurement bias (inadequate survey assessment of men’s experiences) and clinician bias (practitioner’s subconscious tendency to overlook male distress) may lead to underestimates of the prevalence of depression and anxiety among men. Continuing to focus on gender differences in mental health may obscure significant within-gender group differences in men’s symptomatology. In order to better understand men’s lived experiences and their psychological well-being, it is crucial for scholars to focus exclusively on men’s mental health.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260221
Author(s):  
Siti Idayu Hasan ◽  
Anne Yee ◽  
Ariyani Rinaldi ◽  
Adlina Aisya Azham ◽  
Farizah Mohd Hairi ◽  
...  

Previous literature has shown that migrant workers manifested higher common mental issues (especially depressive symptom) compared to local workers due to stressors such as financial constraint and lack of access to healthcare. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize the current body of evidence for the prevalence of depression and anxiety among migrant workers as well as exploring the risk factors and the availability of social support for migrant workers. Seven electronic databases, grey literature and Google Scholar were searched for studies from 2015 to 2021 related to mental health, social support and migrant workers. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale and the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Study heterogeneity was evaluated using I2 statistics. Random effects meta-analysis results were presented given heterogeneity among studies. The search returned 27 articles and only seven studies were included in meta-analysis, involving 44 365 migrant workers in 17 different countries. The overall prevalence of depression and anxiety among migrant workers was 38.99% (95% CI = 0.27, 0.51) and 27.31% (95% CI = 0.06, 0.58), respectively. Factors such as age, biological (health issue, family history of psychiatric disorder), individual (poor coping skills), occupational (workplace psychosocial stressors, poor working condition, salary and benefits issue, abuse), environmental (limited access towards healthcare, duration of residence, living condition) and social factor (limited social support) were associated with a mental health outcome in migrant workers. The availability of social support for migrant workers was mainly concentrated in emotional type of support. A high prevalence of depression and anxiety was found among migrant workers across the globe. This finding warrants a collective effort by different parties in providing assistance for migrant workers to promote their mental well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengsu Hou ◽  
Fengying Bi ◽  
Rong Jiao ◽  
Dan Luo ◽  
Kangxing Song

Abstract Background Studies have shown that the outbreak of infectious diseases would result in mental health problems. Females are in greater risk for psychological problems than males. The present study investigated gender differences of depression and anxiety and explored associated factors during the COVID-19 epidemic among Chinese social media users. Methods We recruited 3088 participants through social media cross China. Participants completed sociodemographic and the COVID-19 epidemic related questions, the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), and the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), the Chinese version of the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. We applied Chi-square test and ANOVA for data description and linear regression analysis for exploring factors associated with depression and anxiety. Results Of 3063 participants eligible for analysis, the total prevalence of depression and anxiety was 14.14 and 13.25%. Females were experiencing more severe stress and anxiety symptoms, while males showed better resilience to stress. The severity of depression symptoms would decrease with the increase of age resilience, and it would increase if being unemployed, feeling less adapted, being more stressed. The severity of anxiety symptoms would decrease with higher education and better resilience, and it would increase if being female, spending over 60 min on COVID-19 related information, less adapted, and being more stressed. Conclusion The findings show the increased prevalence of depression and anxiety in Chinese population during the COVID-19 epidemic, and females are experiencing more severe anxiety symptoms than males. As social media is the current main resource of information related to COVID-19, interventions should be implemented to help users to limit the time they spend on social media and to get key information related to the epidemic from authoritative and authentic resource to avoid infodemic and prevent mental health problems.


Author(s):  
Erin Smith ◽  
Greg Dean ◽  
Lisa Holmes

Abstract Introduction: First responders are at greater risk of mental ill health and compromised well-being compared to the general population. It is important to identify strategies that will be effective in supporting mental health, both during and after the first responder’s career. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the PubMed database (1966 to October 1, 2020) and the Google Scholar database (October 1, 2020) using relevant search terms, truncation symbols, and Boolean combination functions. The reference lists of all relevant publications were also reviewed to identify further publications. Results: A total of 172 publications were retrieved by the combined search strategies. Of these, 56 met the inclusion criteria and informed the results of this overview paper. These publications identified that strategies supporting first responder mental health and well-being need to break down stigma and build resilience. Normalizing conversations around mental health is integral for increasing help-seeking behaviors, both during a first responder’s career and in retirement. Organizations should consider the implementation of both pre-retirement and post-retirement support strategies to improve mental health and well-being. Conclusion: Strategies for supporting mental health and well-being need to be implemented early in the first responder career and reinforced throughout and into retirement. They should utilize holistic approaches which encourage “reaching in” rather than placing an onus on first responders to “reach out” when they are in crisis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 910-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Lee ◽  
John L. Oliffe ◽  
Mary T. Kelly ◽  
Olivier Ferlatte

Gay men are a subgroup vulnerable to depression and suicidality. The prevalence of depression among gay men is three times higher than the general adult population. Because depression is a known risk factor for suicide, gay men are also at high risk for suicidality. Despite the high prevalence of depression and suicidality, health researchers and health care providers have tended to focus on sexual health issues, most often human immunodeficiency virus in gay men. Related to this, gay men’s health has often been defined by sexual practices, and poorly understood are the intersections of gay men’s physical and mental health with social determinants of health including ethnicity, locale, education level, and socioeconomic status. In the current article summated is literature addressing risk factors for depression and suicidality among gay men including family acceptance of their sexual identities, social cohesion and belonging, internalized stigma, and victimization. Barriers to gay men’s help seeking are also discussed in detailing how health care providers might advance the well-being of this underserved subgroup by effectively addressing depression and suicidality.


2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 743
Author(s):  
Sandra Gómez-Martínez ◽  
Rafael Ballester-Arnal ◽  
Beatriz Gil-Juliá ◽  
Ricardo Abizanda-Campos

<p class="textoteoradef">Health Workers (HW) who work in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), are not exempt from emotional effects of coping with suffering and death situations daily. Many studies in HW have focused on the <em>burnout</em> syndrome and have presented anxiety and depression as consequences of this syndrome. The aim of this work is to assess the anxiety and depression problems, as well as the subjective perception of mood of the ICU health workers. Participants were 117 ICU health workers of a Hospital in the Valencian Community (Spain). The descriptive analyses show that between 14.6-20% and a 4-7% of participants have symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Differential analyses, show gender differences in several measures of anxiety, as well as on depression scores. Age and experience are related to depression and anxiety. Furthermore, we performed regression analyses to know the importance of the different variables in the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. The results show that working in daily contact with suffering and death, in a Unit in which the demands are many, could have implications for the mental health of professionals.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Lina Martínez ◽  
Valeria Trofimoff ◽  
Isabella Valencia

COVID-19 pandemic is harming many social and economic spheres beyond physical health. The subjective well-being of the population (positive emotions and life satisfaction) and the prevalence of stressors affecting good mental health like worry, depression, and anxiety are increasing worldwide. This analysis presents evidence of subjective well-being and mental health in Colombia, South America, during the current crisis. The data for this analysis comes from an online survey released after one month of quarantine. In total, 941 adults participated in the study. Results show that women are more affected by their well-being and experience more often worry, depression, and anxiety than males. In particular, younger women and from the lower socioeconomic strata. Respondents identify three primary concerns because of the pandemic: i) financial consequences, ii) health (personal and loved one&#39;s health), and iii) productivity. Respondents are, on average, more concerned for the health of loved ones than their health. 49% of study participants report having an income reduction as a consequence of the pandemic, but women in all subgroups analyzed are more affected than males. In terms of productivity &ndash;working remotely-, educated people, and from 50+ age range, feels more productive working from home. Evidence from this analysis contributes to the broader research of the consequences of COVID-19 on the well-being of the population. Evidence comes from a country in the global South with high population ratings of subjective well-being, happiness, and life satisfaction before the pandemic.&nbsp;


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Roy Abraham Kallivayalil ◽  
Arun Enara

AbstractMedical education curricula, from around the world, have often neglected psychiatry as a subject of importance in undergraduate medical training.In India, the scenario has not been different from the rest of the world. The National Mental Health Survey done in India, recently, estimates a treatment gap of around 80–85% for various mental illnesses. This provides a strong case to strengthen the undergraduate psychiatry curricula since it would help tackle the treatment gap of common mental disorders in the community.Further, a strong educational foundation with meaningful inclusion of mental health and well-being, will also make the trainee aware of their own mental well-being and better help seeking behaviour in the medical student. In this article, we look to review the evolution of undergraduate medical education in India.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A50-A51
Author(s):  
L Mascaro ◽  
S Drummond ◽  
J Leota ◽  
J Boardman ◽  
D Hoffman ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Mental fitness is increasingly considered key to an athlete’s competitive arsenal. Its active ingredients include cognitive fitness factors, such as impulse control, and recovery factors, such as sleep, which may differ between male and female athletes. Our study investigated: 1) gender differences in cognitive fitness; and 2) the associations of gender and cognitive fitness with sleep and mental health in competitive athletes during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods 84 athletes competing at levels from regional/state to international (42F, mean age=23.2) completed a questionnaire battery containing validated measures of: a) depression, anxiety, and stress; b) sleep (Total Sleep Time, Sleep Latency, mid-sleep time on training- and competition-free days); and c) self-control, intolerance of uncertainty, and impulsivity (representing cognitive fitness constructs). Results Female athletes reported significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress, a later mid-sleep time on free days, lower self-control, higher intolerance of uncertainty, and higher positive urgency impulsivity compared with male athletes. Self-control was negatively associated, and intolerance of uncertainty was positively associated, with depression, anxiety, and mid-sleep time on free days. Discussion Female athletes in our sample reported poorer mental health and cognitive fitness, and later sleeping times on free days. Greater cognitive fitness was associated with better mental health, independent of gender. Overall, these findings are consistent with prior work in community samples. Future work should examine the source(s) of these gender differences. If replicated, our findings would suggest a need to develop interventions aimed at improving athlete well-being, potentially with a particular focus on female athletes.


Author(s):  
Éva Kállay ◽  
Alexandra Rebeca Mihoc

"The changes occurring in modern society can significantly influence individuals’ well-being, mental health and even personality traits such as narcissism and perfectionism. Since studies investigating age and gender differences in narcissism and perfectionism have produced mixed results, and the number of studies conducted in Romanian population is scarce, the main aims of this study were to investigate possible age and gender differences in narcissism, perfectionism and several mental-health indicators in a sample of healthy participants, as well as specific association patterns between these variables within each group of participants. Our sample included 465 millennials and 149 participants over 35 years of age. The results indicate that millennials reported significantly lower levels of narcissism and self-oriented perfectionism than the older generations, higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Female millennials reported lower levels of narcissistic traits and higher levels of socially-prescribed perfectionism, depressive symptoms, personal growth, and positive relations with others than male participants. Older females indicated significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness than male participants. Regarding association patterns, in the group of millennial women narcissism was positively correlated with self-oriented, socially-prescribed perfectionism and subjective well-being, and negatively with loneliness, environmental mastery and purpose in life. In millennial males, we found significant positive correlations only between narcissism and subjective well-being and environmental mastery. Our findings may have important implications for the literature regarding millennials and can contribute to the interventions and prevention programs designed to improve their well-being. Keywords: millennials, narcissism, perfectionism, mental health indicators, age and gender differences "


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Racine ◽  
Rachel Eirich ◽  
Jessica Cookee ◽  
Jenney Zhu ◽  
Paolo Pador ◽  
...  

Parents have experienced considerable challenges and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact their well-being. This meta-analysis sought to identify: 1) the prevalence of depression and anxiety in parents of young children (&lt; age 5) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) sociodemographic (e.g., parent age, minority status) and methodological moderators (e.g., study quality) that explain heterogeneity among studies. A systematic search was conducted across four databases from January 1st, 2020 to March 3st, 2021. A total of 18 non-overlapping studies (9,101 participants), all focused on maternal mental health, met inclusion criteria. Random-effect meta-analyses were conducted. Pooled prevalence estimates for clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms for mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic were 27.4% (95% CI: 21.5-34.3) and 43.5% (95% CI:27.5-60.9), respectively. Prevalence of clinically elevated depression and anxiety symptoms were higher in Europe and North America and among older mothers. Clinically elevated depressive symptoms were lower in studies with a higher percentage of racial and ethnic minority individuals. In comparison, clinically elevated anxiety symptoms were higher among studies of low study quality and in samples with highly educated mothers. Policies and resources targeting improvements in maternal mental health are essential.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document