Study Links 20,000 Men's Rigid Masculine Norms to Poorer Mental Health

2 articles · Updated · YourTango · May 16

Nearly 20,000 participants across 78 studies showed men who conform more strongly to traditional masculine norms were more likely to report psychological problems and less likely to seek help.
The strongest associations appeared in beliefs centered on power over women and “playboy” behavior, which the Journal of Counseling Psychology study tied most consistently to poorer mental health outcomes.
Researchers examined norms such as winning, self-reliance, risk-taking, status seeking and emotional control, finding the clearest mental-health risks in misogynistic and dominance-based attitudes.
The study did not determine whether poor mental health drives those attitudes or results from them, but it concluded that rigid, misogynistic masculinity is linked to harm for both men and women.

Is the crisis in men's mental health a failure of masculinity, or a failure of society to value men?

Since traditional therapy often fails men, what new action-based mental health strategies are proving effective?