A latent class regression analysis of men's conformity to masculine norms and psychological distress.

Abstract

How are specific dimensions of masculinity related to psychological distress in specific groups of men? To address this question, the authors used latent class regression to assess the optimal number of latent classes that explained differential relationships between conformity to masculine norms and psychological distress in a racially diverse sample of 223 men. The authors identified a 2-class solution. Both latent classes demonstrated very different associations between conformity to masculine norms and psychological distress. In Class 1 (labeled risk avoiders; n = 133), conformity to the masculine norm of risk-taking was negatively related to psychological distress. In Class 2 (labeled detached risk-takers; n = 90), conformity to the masculine norms of playboy, self-reliance, and risk-taking was positively related to psychological distress, whereas conformity to the masculine norm of violence was negatively related to psychological distress. A post hoc analysis revealed that younger men and Asian American men (compared with Latino and White American men) had significantly greater odds of being in Class 2 versus Class 1. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are examined.

Mental health indicators fifty years later: A population-based study of men with histories of child sexual abuse

“…Due to shame and stigma, some survivors adopt rigid masculine norms as a coping mechanism (Lisak, 1994), which could undermine long-term mental health. Our analyses found a direct relationship between masculine norms and psychological outcomes across the entire sample, consistent with research in the general population (Alfred et al, 2014; Mahalik & Rochlen, 2006; Wong et al, 2012). However, we did not find a heightened effect of masculine norms among those who were sexually abused.…”

“…Some men may respond to victimization by overcompensating and adopting hyper-masculine personas in adulthood (Lisak, 1994). Among the general population, however, rigid notions of masculinity have been associated with lower psychological well-being (Alfred, Hammer, & Good, 2014), psychological distress (Wong, Owen & Shea, 2012), depression (Mahalik & Rochlen, 2006), and negative attitudes towards help-seeking (Levant, Wimer, & Williams, 2009). Few studies have examined the relationship between gender norms and mental health for sexually abused men.…”

Developing a taxonomy of helpful and harmful practices for clinical work with boys and men.

“…For example, research has indicated that as men endorse more traditional gender roles they report more depression and anxiety (Mahalik, Locke, et al, 2003), alexithymia , substance abuse (Liu & Iwamoto, 2007;Locke & Mahalik, 2005), interpersonal violence and sexual aggression (Jakupcak, Lisak, & Roemer, 2002), relationship dissatisfaction (Bum & Ward, 2005), and overall psychological distress (Wong, Owen, & Shea, 2012).…”

Impact of an equality constraint on the class-specific residual variances in regression mixtures: A Monte Carlo simulation study

“…Regression mixture models have been increasingly applied to different research areas, including marketing (Wedel & Desarbo, 1994, 1995), health (Lanza, Cooper, & Bray, 2013; Yau, Lee, & Ng, 2003), psychology (Van Horn et al, 2009; Wong, Owen, & Shea, 2012) and education (Ding, 2006; Silinskas et al, 2013). While traditional regression analyses model a single average effect of a predictor on an outcome for all subjects, regression mixtures model heterogeneous effects by empirically identifying two or more subpopulations present in the data where each subpopulation differs in the effects of a predictor or predictors on the outcome(s).…”

“…Interestingly, the majority of the studies employing regression mixtures gave no information about residual variance specifications whether the equality constraint has been imposed or not (Lanza et al, 2013; Lanza, Kugler, & Mathur, 2011; Liu & Lu, 2011; Schmeige, Levin, & Bryan, 2009; Wong & Maffini, 2011; Wong et al, 2012). The contribution of this paper is to examine the degree to which this is a consequential decision that should be thoughtfully made and clearly reported, so that readers can understand regression mixture results, and so results may be replicated in the future.…”