This Evidence Check review looked at the evidence for considering masculinity or ‘being male’ in developing mental health programs. Overall, it found a strong relationship between traditional masculinity and help-seeking, stigma, suicide, and body image; confirming the assertion that ‘being male’ should be a key consideration in developing approaches to improving men’s mental health and wellbeing. Moderate to strong evidence was found across different characteristics of traditional masculinity. This held true among sub-groups of men such as minority ethnic men and gay men. The review also identified a number of gaps in the evidence base which could be addressed by future research.
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Robertson S, Bagnall A, Michael Walker M.
