Restrictive emotionality, BIS, BAS, and psychological help-seeking behavior.

Abstract

This study examined the relationships among gender role conflict, attitudes toward seeking psychotherapy, and behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity. Specifically, the present research tested the hypothesis that BIS sensitivity partially mediates the effects of two aspects of gender role conflict, restrictive emotionality, and restrictive affectionate behavior between men on attitudes toward psychotherapy. To achieve this goal, 285 male college students completed measures of gender role conflict, attitudes toward psychotherapy, and BIS and BAS sensitivity. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model against several alternative models. Contrary to expectations, no support was found for the hypothesis that BIS partially mediates the effects of restrictive emotionality and restrictive affectionate behavior between men on attitudes toward psychotherapy. However, restrictive emotionality was found to predict both BIS and attitudes toward psychotherapy. Additionally, a dimension of BAS sensitivity, BAS Drive, was also found to uniquely predict attitudes toward psychotherapy. In contrast, neither BIS nor restrictive affectionate behavior between men was significantly associated with attitudes toward psychotherapy in the SEM models. Taken together, these findings suggest that restrictive emotionality and BAS Drive are the dimensions of gender role conflict and motivational disposition most strongly associated with attitudes toward psychotherapy.

Problem-solving appraisal, gender role conflict, help-seeking behavior, and psychological distress among men who are homeless.

“…More specifically, individuals who scored high on restrictive emotionality perceived themselves to have poorer problem-solving skills. Similar to findings among college men, it seems that the variable of restrictive emotionality is significantly linked to help-seeking behavior (Tsan et al, 2011) and interpersonal expressiveness (Wong & Rochlen, 2009). It is possible that restricting and inhibiting emotions may limit men's openness to options and opportunities in resolving problems; that is, if restricting emotions is a familiar masculine framework for the man, then he will ensure that any of his behaviors reinforce emotional restriction.…”

“…Similarly, among the problem-solving subscales, the present participants' scores were within the standard deviations of previous studies using college men (Good et al, 2004): PSC was M = 28.10, SD = 7.74; AAS was M = 49.05, SD = 11.00; and PC was M = 17.64, SD = 3.98. In reviewing the present results in comparison to previous studies using similar measures, Tsan et al (2011) used the ATSPPHS among a sample of college men, and the mean for those who had not had previous psychotherapy experience was 24.1 ( SD = 5.4); this result suggests that our homeless male sample had a 5-point lower score and smaller variance than college students. College men administered the BSI-18 also had lower mean scores ( M = 14.68, SD = 11.33; Wong & Rochlen, 2009) than our homeless male participants, but overall, the psychological distress scores were within the variance…”

“…Yet, as the research suggests for men experiencing psychological distress, seeking and using psychological and counseling services are not simple or common (Cook, 1990; Heppner, 1995). Supporting this conclusion, Tsan, Day, Schwartz, and Kimbrel (2011) found that college men who experienced increased restrictive emotionality (as measured by the GRCS) also were less likely to seek psychological help. It seems from the research that men who hold traditional attitudes about masculinity, such as concern about expressing emotions or affection, often hold negative attitudes toward seeking professional psychological assistance.…”

A test of the mediating role of gender role conflict: Latino masculinities and help-seeking attitudes.

“…The second link demonstrated a positive relationship between masculinity ideologies and gender role conflict, which provided the rationale that an individual must first highly adhere to masculinity ideologies to secondarily experience gender role conflict (Berger et al, 2005). The final assumption is that men tend to display poorer attitudes toward psychological help seeking when a positive relationship exists between masculinity ideologies and restrictive emotionality and restrictive affectionate behavior between men (Berger et al, 2005; Tsan et al, 2011). Unfortunately, one of the major limitations of the masculinity ideologies research is the lack of generalizable results to Latino men.…”

Ser homem é...: adaptação da escala de concepções da masculinidade

“…Essa dimensão é uma das mais estudadas das normas de gênero e tem sido consistentemente associada com a dificuldade que os homens apresentam de pedir ajuda (Tsan, Day, Schwartz, & Kimbrel, 2011) e seus níveis de ansiedade (Wong, Pituch & Rochlen, 2006). O terceiro fator, heterossexismo, sugere que qualquer tipo de comportamento, por parte dos homens, que possa ser considerado feminino não é aceitável.…”