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ObjectiveAgainst a backdrop of hegemonic masculinity, we contribute to understandings of how having a child with autism impacts fathers' navigation of work and family responsibilities.BackgroundParents of children with autism face distinct needs related to accessing health, education, and social supports for their children. In supporting their children, fathers may feel pulled between traditional financial provider roles and relatively nurturing, involved styles of fathering.MethodUsing a traditional masculinity theoretical orientation, we conducted a directed content analysis of narrative data from 26 fathers of children with autism collected as part of a broader project. We analyzed approaches to fathering reflected in fathers' descriptions of managing work and family and corresponding meanings fathers attached to work relative to family responsibilities.ResultsFathering approaches included (a) traditional breadwinners, (b) caregiving breadwinners, (c) “tag‐team” parents, and (d) caregiving fathers. Meanings of work included (a) financial power and security in the face of autism; (b) work as information, support, and reprieve; and (c) work strain contributing to guilt, sadness, and depression.ConclusionFathers' responsibilities entailed a careful balancing between financial provision and caregiving for their children with autism. We identify theoretical and policy implications aimed at more fully understanding and supporting fathers of children with autism.

Although a strong relationship between employment and men’s mental health has been identified, theoretical linkages between masculinity, employment, and mental health are not well developed and mental health supports that account for gender and employment are correspondingly inadequate. The purpose of this study is to contribute to theoretical understandings of men’s employment-related mental health experience and raise possibilities for gender-responsive employer supports for men’s mental health. Specifically, this study is a secondary analysis of narrative accounts from 18 men employed in male-dominated occupations about their employment-related mental health. Results of this study present evidence of processes by which theoretical concepts of masculine role norms influence work-related stress and mental health including: (a) injunctive norms, which operate through an internal sense of the cultural “shoulds” and “should nots”; (b) descriptive norms, which are communicated through the behaviors that a man sees other men enacting in his immediate environment; and (c) cohesive norms, which exert influence through observations of how men who are leaders, behave. Men’s insights into the complexity of employment-related stress and mental health according to masculine role norms related to work demands and leadership modeling and messaging are discussed. This study concludes with potential ways forward for employer support for men’s mental health.

Background The study of depression and anxiety using publicly available social media data is a research activity that has grown considerably over the past decade. The discussion platform Reddit has become a popular social media data source in this nascent area of study, in part because of the unique ways in which the platform is facilitative of research. To date, no work has been done to synthesize existing studies on depression and anxiety using Reddit. Objective The objective of this review is to understand the scope and nature of research using Reddit as a primary data source for studying depression and anxiety. Methods A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley framework. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Scopus, ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, and ACM academic databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were developed using the participants, concept, and context framework outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute Scoping Review Methodology Group. Eligible studies featured an analytic focus on depression or anxiety and used naturalistic written expressions from Reddit users as a primary data source. Results A total of 54 studies were included in the review. Tables and corresponding analyses delineate the key methodological features, including a comparatively larger focus on depression versus anxiety, an even split of original and premade data sets, a widespread analytic focus on classifying the mental health states of Reddit users, and practical implications that often recommend new methods of professionally delivered monitoring and outreach for Reddit users. Conclusions Studies of depression and anxiety using Reddit data are currently driven by a prevailing methodology that favors a technical, solution-based orientation. Researchers interested in advancing this research area will benefit from further consideration of conceptual issues surrounding the interpretation of Reddit data with the medical model of mental health. Further efforts are also needed to locate accountability and autonomy within practice implications, suggesting new forms of engagement with Reddit users.

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