Recognising men’s mental health on International Men’s Day
International Men’s Day (IMD) takes place on the 19 November and this year’s theme is ‘Positive Male Role Models’.
19 November 2024
International Men's Day (IMD) takes place on the 19 November and this year's theme is 'Positive Male Role Models'. While the day is a chance to celebrate the men in our lives who inspire us, IMD is also an opportunity to reflect on specific issues that predominantly affect men.
Research shows that men are more likely to take their own lives and around 12.5% of men have a mental health disorder. Due to societal norms surrounding masculinity and male behaviour, men are often less likely to seek help for their mental health problems or let loved ones know if they're struggling and research therefore is vital for learning more about men's mental health and helping to guide the support that's offered to men.
Below are some research studies into men's mental health that have been published over the last few years in BPS journals.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
According to recent statistics, around 75% of suicides are carried out by men. There's a limited amount of research into how metacognitive functions such as worrying and ruminating interact with suicide ideation and learning more about this could provide important insights. This study interviewed 15 men who were experiencing suicide ideation and found that they perceived cognitive functions like worrying to be incompatible with traditional masculine roles which involved leadership. Suicide was considered a means of re-gaining control.
The risk of suicidal intention in severe mental illness: An ecological perspective
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
This study looks at the factors that impact suicide ideation in people with severe mental illness in China. They found that young men were more likely to feel suicidal because of family factors such as parent roles and activities within the family, as opposed to social factors such as their social relationships outside of their family.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
Studies have found links between traditional masculinity norms and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. A study from earlier this year looked at traditionally 'unmasculine' traits such as fear of compassion and social safety and examined the relationship they had with anxiety and depression levels in men.
British Journal of Educational Psychology
Parenting roles and responsibilities are in a constant flux and men are progressively taking on more active roles in childcare. This study looks at what influences a father's involvement with their child's education and found that a positive work environment was one of the key factors that made a father more likely to be involved with their child's educational development.
Coexisting violence and self‐harm: Dual harm in an early‐stage male prison population
Legal and Criminological Psychology
The rates of self-harm by men in prisons has been generally increasing, and research has found there's a correlation between self-harm and violence against others. This study looks at rates of self-harm in prisons and tries to distinguish demographic and criminogenic factors that might influence someone to self-harm. The study recommends that health and justice services work together more closely at all levels within criminal justice settings.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
This research study explores the processes which link self-disgust to attempted suicide in men. The study found that self-disgust was an important emotion for them and influenced their lives and their perceptions of themselves. They found that men who'd experienced childhood adversities are more likely to have feelings of self-disgust and the research made recommendations for future studies and clinical work.