Challenging the Myths of Men’s Mental Health: An Exploration of the Gender Binary

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 24. Gender, Sexuality, and Health

Abstract

Extensive research investigates gender differences in mental health, yet few scholars investigate men’s mental health specifically. Many researchers take for granted that men’s mental health can be explained in the same terms as women’s or that we can gauge men’s and women’s mental health using the same standardized measures. Some studies find that men and women have similar rates of all disorders but experience different types of mental illnesses, while others claim that women have higher overall rates of mental disorder. Across a wide range of studies, the key claims are that women have higher rates of internalizing disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety) while men experience more externalizing symptoms (i.e., violence, substance abuse). It is unclear the extent to which these trends reflect true gender differences; gender socialization including the acquisition of gender roles and accompanying expectations, along with differences in help-seeking, coping, and social support might explain the gender gap. We suggest that these are important questions for further examination, along with measurement (the inadequate assessment of men's experiences) and clinician bias. We review the extant research and suggest need for further examination of the widely accepted idea that women and men have different kinds of mental health problems; there may be significant within gender group differences in experience and symptomatology. In order to move the field beyond an examination of broad gender differences, scholars need to build a model of male distress, and understand the impact of masculinity and men’s lived experiences on mental health outcomes.

Authors

• Dena T. Smith, University of Maryland-Baltimore County

• Dawne M. Mouzon, State University of New Jersey-Rutgers