Status loss due to COVID-19, traditional masculinity, and their association with recent suicide attempts and suicidal ideation.

Walther, Andreas; Grub, Jessica; Tsar, Sarah; Ehlert, Ulrike; Heald, Adrian; Perrin, Raymond; Ogrodniczuk, John S.; Seidler, Zac E.; Rice, Simon; Kealy, David; Oliffe, John L.; Eggenberger, Lukas

doi:10.1037/men0000408

Cited by 14 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…For example, a study by Coleman et al (2020) found men with strong TMI to be more than twice as likely to die by suicide than men with low TMI, while also being less likely to disclose suicidal ideation. Concordantly, Walther et al (2022) found men with strong TMI who experienced status loss – status being a core dimension in many conceptualizations of TMI – to be about four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past month. Particularly masculinity norms revolving around stoicism, self-reliance, and verbal aggression have been found to increase suicidal desire among men who experience psychological distress ( Daruwala et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

New directions in male-tailored psychotherapy for depression

2023

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Purpose of reviewSocietal, cultural, and contextual norms about how men should be and behave (so called traditional masculinity ideologies; TMI) affect men’s presentation of depressive disorders, psychotherapy use, and treatment engagement. Only recently, however, male-tailored psychotherapy approaches for depressive disorders have been developed, which aim to systematically soften dysfunctional TMI. In this review, we outline the necessary groundwork as well as recent advances in research on TMI, men’s help-seeking, male depression, and their interrelatedness. Subsequently, we discuss the potential value of these findings for male-tailored psychotherapy for depressive disorders.Recent findingsA preliminary evaluation of a male-specific psychoeducation program found that a male-specific psychoeducation text could reduce negative affect as well as state shame and potentially elicit a shift from externalizing depression symptoms toward more prototypical depression symptoms. The James’ Place program, a male-tailored community-based service, improved suicidal men’s overall well-being, problems, functioning, and suicide risk. The Heads Up Guys! program, an eHealth resource aimed at depressed men, reported a high and increasing global interest in their website, with considerable visitor engagement. The Man Therapy online resource improved depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and help-seeking behavior. Finally, the Men in Mind program, an online training program for clinical practitioners, increased practitioners’ capacity to engage and support men in therapy.SummaryMale-tailored psychotherapy programs for depressive disorders, which are informed by recent advances in TMI research, may potentially increase therapeutic effectiveness, engagement, and adherence. While recent preliminary analyses of individual male-tailored treatment programs show promising results, extensive and systematic primary studies evaluating these programs are pending but greatly needed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

New directions in male-tailored psychotherapy for depression

2023

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“…Men are disproportionately likely to commit suicide compared with women, and research is ongoing regarding the psychological and psychiatric antecedents of this observed gender difference (Chandler, 2019, 2022; Green et al, 2018; Green & Jakupcak, 2016; Inckle, 2014). Considering emerging evidence showing a link between masculinity norms, threat, and self-harm (Walther et al, 2022), we propose that this internalized outcome may stem from threat as a function of intrinsic desires to be masculine. Although this hypothesis is difficult to test experimentally, especially in the context of self-harm and suicide, we encourage future researchers to explore this possibility that discrepancies, intrinsic conformity motivations, and masculinity-threatening contexts may combine to result in these extreme forms of internalized responding.…”

Section: Threatmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Men are disproportionately likely to commit suicide compared to women, and research is ongoing regarding the psychological and psychiatric antecedents of this observed gender difference (Chandler, 2019(Chandler, , 2022Green et al, 2018;Green & Jakupcak, 2016;Inckle, 2014). Considering the emerging evidence showing a link between masculinity norms and internalizing symptoms (e.g., self-harm; Walther et. al, 2022), we propose that these internalized outcomes may stem from threat as a function of intrinsic desires to be more masculine in certain ways.…”

Section: "Breaking": Internalized Responses To Masculinity Threatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this generally positive pattern, if someone (e.g., a partner or friend) or a situation (e.g., a job loss) were to threaten his identity as a protector, he could experience shame in his apparent shortcoming. Indeed, Walther et al (2022) found that after experience a job loss due to COVID-19, men who more strongly endorsed stereotypical masculinity beliefs had an increased risk of suicide compared with men who were less invested in masculinity norms. In this case, men are not lashing out to prove their manhood; rather, they are suffering through a more internalized pattern of responding.…”

Section: Discrepancymentioning

confidence: 99%

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When Is Masculinity “Fragile”? An Expectancy-Discrepancy-Threat Model of Masculine Identity

Stanaland

Gaither

Gassman‐Pines

2023

Pers Soc Psychol Rev

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Academic Abstract Manhood is a precarious social status. Under perceived gender identity threat, men are disproportionately likely to enact certain stereotype-consistent responses such as aggression to maintain their gender status. Yet less is known regarding individual variation in men’s threat responsiveness—that is, the psychological conditions under which one’s masculine identity is more or less “fragile.” We propose a novel model of masculine identity whereby masculine norm expectancy generates discrepancy within the self to the extent that rigid norms are internalized as obligational (actual-ought discrepancy) versus aspirational (actual-ideal discrepancy), which predict extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations to reduce these discrepancies, respectively. Under threat, then, extrinsic motivations predict externalized responses (e.g., aggression), and intrinsic motivations elicit internalized responses (e.g., anxiety, shame, self-harm). We also consider the conditions under which masculinity may be less fragile—for example, in contexts with less rigid expectations and among men who reject expectations—as pathways to mitigate adverse masculinity threat-related outcomes. Public Abstract In many cultures, men prove their manhood by engaging in behaviors that harm themselves and others (e.g., violence, sexism, homophobia), particularly people from marginalized groups. Yet less is known about why some men are more likely than others to enact these masculinity-proving behaviors. The goal of our model is to specify certain conditions under which masculinities become “fragile” and elicit these responses when under threat. We start by describing the rigid expectations men experience—for example, that they are strong and tough. We propose that these expectations cause men to experience different forms of discrepancy within themselves that produce corresponding motivations to reduce these discrepancies. Under threat, motivations driven by others’ expectations elicit outward attempts to restore masculine status (e.g., aggression), whereas motivations driven by self-ideals cause internalized responses (e.g., shame, self-harm). We conclude by discussing how to reduce these discrepancies, such as mitigating the rigidity of and encouraging men’s resistance to masculinity expectations.

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“…Importantly, ChatGPT also briefly mentions positive (or alternative) masculinity, wherein TMI are not only thought of as rigid, maladaptive, and potentially harmful (Eggenberger et al, 2021(Eggenberger et al, , 2022Walther et al, 2022Walther et al, , 2023Wong et al, 2017), but emphasizes the positive aspects of TMI and the masculine gender roles, such as being a family's protector and provider or a good leader (e.g., Englar-Carlson & Kiselica, 2013).…”

Section: Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Gendered Nature of AI: Men and Masculinities Through the Lens of ChatGPT and GPT4

Walther¹,

Logoz²,

Eggenberger³

2023

Preprint

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Because artificial intelligence powered language models such as ChatGPT have most certainly come to stay and will permanently change the way individuals all over the world access information and form opinions, there is a need to highlight potential risks for the understanding and perception of men and masculinities. It is important to understand whether ChatGPT is biased – and if so, in which direction and to which degree. In the specific research field on men and masculinities, it seems paramount to understand the grounds upon which this language model responds to seemingly simple questions such as "What is a man?" or "What is masculine?". In the following, we provide interactions with ChatGPT where we asked such questions, in an effort to better understand the quality and potential biases of the answers from ChatGPT. We then critically reflect on the output by ChatGPT and draw conclusions for future actions.

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Status loss due to COVID-19, traditional masculinity, and their association with recent suicide attempts and suicidal ideation.

Cited by 14 publications

References 91 publications

New directions in male-tailored psychotherapy for depression

New directions in male-tailored psychotherapy for depression

When Is Masculinity “Fragile”? An Expectancy-Discrepancy-Threat Model of Masculine Identity

The Gendered Nature of AI: Men and Masculinities Through the Lens of ChatGPT and GPT4

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