Improving the Living, Learning, and Thriving of Young Black Men: A Conceptual Framework for Reflection and Projection

Abstract

Black men experience disproportionate mental health challenges due to their exposure to severe psychosocial stressors. Yet, the mental health challenges of Black men have largely been left out of national conversations. Strong theoretical frameworks are important when generating dialogue about the mental health of Black men, as it helps to validate the work on a larger scale while also grounding the work for more practical use. This paper presents the conceptual framework for a five-year initiative aimed at improving the living, learning, and thriving of young Black men through a social media intervention that improves their mental health, expands their definitions of manhood, and helps them to engage in social support. The Young, Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) project is a social media-based, health promotion program that targets mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms), masculine norms (e.g., definitions of manhood), and social support for young Black men using culturally-sensitive, age-appropriate, and gender-specific popular culture. The YBMen project has been successfully implemented with over 150+ Black men since 2014; findings demonstrate improved mental health outcomes, progressive definitions of manhood, and stronger social relationships. Reflections from the past and projections for the future are discussed.

An Online Behavioral Health Intervention Promoting Mental Health, Manhood, and Social Support for Young Black Men: The YBMen Project

“…The Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) project (Goodwill et al, 2018;Watkins, 2019;Watkins, et al, 2017) was launched in 2014. This psychoeducational, behavioral health intervention was delivered as a 5-week, social media-based mental health education and social support program for young Black men.…”

“…The YBMen Intervention Curriculum. The YBMen intervention curriculum is grounded in delivery techniques that allow the team to focus on helping participants develop action plans, participate in group problem-solving, and evoke individual decision-making strategies to improve their mental health, masculine norms, and social support outcomes (Watkins, 2019;Watkins et al, 2017). These techniques are guided by the YBMen intervention team, which includes project managers, content developers, recruiters, data collectors, intervention moderators (who oversee daily content and curriculum delivery), and group managers (who manage posts, likes, and replies).…”

“…The conceptual framework for the YBMen project was developed using grounded theory and systematic reviews that synthesized previous literature on the social determinants of mental health for Black men (Watkins, 2012(Watkins, , 2019Watkins et al, 2010Watkins et al, , 2011Watkins et al, , 2017. This framework was applied to the YBMen project design, implementation, and evaluation, and is used as the lens through which social cognitive theory (SCT; Bandura, 2005) and theories of social networks and social support (SNSS; Heaney & Israel, 2005) are applied.…”

“…Sociopolitical incidents underscore the social and cultural barriers young Black men face (Hudson et al, 2016), barriers that are both complicated by traditional masculine norms and reinforced by unhealthy race and cultural ideologies (Griffith et al, 2012). For young Black men, these barriers may preclude them not only from successfully navigating justice and educational systems but also from receiving health care and social services they need to thrive (Griffith, 2015;Watkins, 2019).…”

“…Few mental health support services and interventions engage men, and even fewer engage young Black men (Regehr et al, 2013;Williams & Justice, 2010). This is unfortunate because evidence suggests culturally sensitive and gender-specific interventions may be more effective at engaging this subgroup of men and addressing their mental health challenges (Watkins, 2012(Watkins, , 2019Watkins et al, 2017;Watkins & Jefferson, 2013), especially those that address their unique behavioral health needs and experiences (Watkins, 2019;Watkins et al, 2015). Interventions are needed that target distinctive obstacles young Black men may face in efforts to improve their behavioral health and overall well-being.…”