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Men, masculinities and suicidal behaviour
... In almost every country, men die by suicide at higher rates than women (Aubin et al., 2013;Canetto & Cleary, 2012). Rates between sexes vary with extreme disparities in Eastern European countries, where death rates are 6-7 times higher for men, to relative parity in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan (Ritchie, 2015). ...
... Other male-specific risk factors identified in the literature include increased substance abuse (Sher, 2020), work/financial challenges (Samaritans, 2012), shame (Kõlves et al., 2013), and experiencing sexual abuse in childhood (Schrijvers et al., 2012). Specific subpopulations of men have also been identified as at particular risk, including male sexual minorities (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), men in the military (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), rural men (Tang et al., 2022), and middle-aged men (Samaritans, 2012). ...
... Other male-specific risk factors identified in the literature include increased substance abuse (Sher, 2020), work/financial challenges (Samaritans, 2012), shame (Kõlves et al., 2013), and experiencing sexual abuse in childhood (Schrijvers et al., 2012). Specific subpopulations of men have also been identified as at particular risk, including male sexual minorities (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), men in the military (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), rural men (Tang et al., 2022), and middle-aged men (Samaritans, 2012). ...
... There are also within-country exceptions when the data are examined by age or ethnicity. In other words, men's overrepresentation among those who die by suicide is not universal and, therefore, not inevitable [3]. Still, the prevailing pattern is that male suicides outnumber female suicides. ...
... A different perspective on male suicide and unemployment has been taken by Canetto (1992Canetto ( , 1994Canetto ( , 1997 [4,18,19]. Building on family and work theory and research [20], as well as on evidence about suicide trends by sex, globally [3,21], Canetto theorized that men's suicide mortality is not just a function of economic factors and of men's public-life experiences, like unemployment. Men's private-life behaviors, particularly their low engagement in family carework, also matter. ...
... This study's findings are most closely related to those of a study by Reeves and Stuckler [17], that more egalitarian gender practices mitigate the impact of unemployment on male suicide. Together, the findings of Reeves and Stuckler's study and of this study challenge a trope that male suicide is a symptom of a crisis of masculinity triggered by growing gender equality [3,38]. In fact, this study's findings are consistent with growing evidence that gender equality is associated with a range of positive health outcomes in men, not only in women [39][40][41][42]. ...
Purpose:
Suicide rates are generally higher in men than in women. Men’s higher suicide mortality is often attributed to public-life adversities, like unemployment. Building on theory that men’s suicide vulnerability is also related to their private-life behaviors, particularly men’s low engagement in family carework, this ecological study explored the association between men’s family carework, unemployment, and suicide.
Methods:
Family-carework data for twenty Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries were obtained from the OECD Family Database. Sex-specific age-standardized suicide rates came from the Global Burden of Disease dataset. The association between men’s engagement in family carework and suicide rates by sex was estimated, with OECD’s unemployment-benefits index and United-Nations’ Human Development-Index (HDI) evaluated as controls. The moderation of men’s carework on the unemployment-suicide relationship was also assessed.
Results:
Overall and sex-specific suicide rates were lower in countries where men reported more family carework. In these countries higher unemployment rates were not associated with higher male suicide rates. In countries where men reported less family carework, higher unemployment was associated with higher male suicide rates, independent of country’s HDI. Unemployment benefits were not associated with suicide rates. Men’s family carework moderated the association between unemployment and suicide rates.
Conclusion:
This study’s findings that higher levels of men’s family carework were associated with lower suicide mortality, especially among men and under high-unemployment conditions, point to the suicide-protective potential of men’s family carework. They are consistent with evidence that where gender equality is greater, men’s and women’s well-being, health, and longevity are greater.
... There are examples of contemporary texts from various countries framing male suicide as a cultural product of masculine identities and gender roles, including texts from Australia (River, 2014), Europe (Cleary, 2012), Ghana (Adinkrah, 2012), and SA Niehaus, 2012). Writing in this genre typically draws directly or indirectly on role theory and explains men's vulnerability to suicide as a function of gender norms, societal expectations, and men's inability to perform prescribed masculine identities within structured dynamic power relations (Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Carrigan et al., 1985;Möller-Leimkühler, 2003). Cultural accounts of men's suicide tend to be written from a constructionist perspective, which understands gender as relational and performative (Butler et al., 2004). ...
... Cultural accounts of men's suicide tend to be written from a constructionist perspective, which understands gender as relational and performative (Butler et al., 2004). Canetto and Cleary (2012) have noted that many studies on gender and suicide are problematic because they tend to treat male and female behaviors binary opposites and conceptualize men as a unitary group (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), resulting in simplistic and reductionist conclusions, such as ascribing male suicides to rationality and strength and female suicides to emotionality, weakness, and a "cry for help" (Chandler, 2019). Within this binary completed suicides are seen as tragically heroic and masculine, while attempted suicides are associated with emotionality, weakness, and femininity (Jaworski, 2010a). ...
... Cultural accounts of men's suicide tend to be written from a constructionist perspective, which understands gender as relational and performative (Butler et al., 2004). Canetto and Cleary (2012) have noted that many studies on gender and suicide are problematic because they tend to treat male and female behaviors binary opposites and conceptualize men as a unitary group (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), resulting in simplistic and reductionist conclusions, such as ascribing male suicides to rationality and strength and female suicides to emotionality, weakness, and a "cry for help" (Chandler, 2019). Within this binary completed suicides are seen as tragically heroic and masculine, while attempted suicides are associated with emotionality, weakness, and femininity (Jaworski, 2010a). ...
First-person narratives of suicidal behavior may provide novel insights into how individuals with lived experience of suicide understand and narrate their behavior. Our aim was to explore the narratives of young men hospitalized following nonfatal suicidal behavior (NFSB), in order to understand how young suicidal men construct and understand their actions. Data were collected via narrative interviews with 14 men (aged 18–34 years) admitted to hospital following an act of NFSB in Cape Town, South Africa. Narrative analysis was used to analyze the data. Two dominant narratives emerged in which participants drew on tropes of the “great escape” and “heroic resistance,” performing elements of hegemonic masculinity in the way they narrated their experiences. Participants position themselves as rational heroic agents and present their suicidal behavior as goal-directed action to solve problems, assert control, and enact resistance. This dominant narrative is incongruent with the mainstream biomedical account of suicide as a symptom of psychopathology. The young men also articulated two counter-narratives, in which they deny responsibility for their actions and position themselves as defeated, overpowered, wary, and unheroic. The findings lend support to the idea that there is not only one narrative of young men’s suicide, and that competing and contradictory narratives can be found even within a dominant hyper-masculine account of suicidal behavior. Gender-sensitive suicide prevention strategies should not assume that all men share a common understanding of suicide. Suicide can be enacted as both a performance of masculinity and as a resistance to hegemonic gender roles.
... Commentaries on men's health frame suicide as one among many health inequalities faced by men, including lower life expectancies, specific forms of cancer, and heart disease (Courtenay, 2000;Creighton & Oliffe, 2010). High (and sometimes rising) rates of male suicide have been constructed as one among many pieces of evidence that men, and masculinity, is in "crisis" (Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Scourfield, 2005). It is the gender politics of these deployments of male suicide which we seek to analyse/trouble in this article. ...
... The frequent, repetitive, emphasis on the divergence between male and female suicide rates is part of this gendering, and can deflect attention from the higher rates of non-fatal self-harm, including 'attempted suicide', that are reported/recorded among women (Canetto & Sakinofsky, 1998). Instead, discourse about suicide often focuses almost exclusively upon suicide as a problem for men (Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Mallon et al. 2016;Oliffe et al., 2017;Scourfield, Fincham, Langer, & Shiner, 2012). The 'gender paradox' in suicide and self-harm has been identified for at least 20 years, and has been considered in some attempts to understand higher rates of men's suicide compared to women. ...
... This is an intriguing standpoint. As discussed above, there is a growing body of research on gender/sex differences in suicide (Andriolo, 1998;Canetto, 1991;Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Möller-Leimkühler, 2003). It is therefore simply not true (contra Powell) to say that no-one is asking questions related to the problem of 'why men'? ...
High male suicide rates are often constructed as evidence for an apparent ‘crisis of masculinity’. Conversely, ‘crisis of masculinity’ has been used to explain differential rates of male and female suicide in the UK (and elsewhere). We analyse three public cases where male suicide and ‘masculinity-crisis’ discourse are employed together. Our feminist analysis demonstrates that ‘crisis talk’ and male suicide are addressed in divergent ways. We therefore distinguish between ‘progressive’ and ‘conservative’ crisis narratives. Conservative narratives position high male suicide rates as a pernicious outcome of ‘threats’ to traditional gender roles and norms, suggesting the solution is to return to them. Contrastingly, progressive crisis accounts use male suicide to demonstrate that existing gender norms harm men as well as women and argue they should be altered to address male suicide. Conservative narratives often map on to anti-feminist politics, whereas progressive accounts reflect aspects of feminism. There is no neat feminist/anti-feminist distinction, however, as postfeminist ideas are also evident. We argue that, overall, each of the articulations of a ‘crisis of masculinity’ as evidenced by high rates of male suicide reinforces problematic gender politics. Further, in reifying simplistic, dualistic models of gender, they may ultimately constrain efforts to reduce suicide.
... This paradox has puzzled suicide researchers for decades. Thus, gender has increasingly been emphasized as crucial for understanding suicidal behavior [2]. This is, for instance, reflected in the following comprehensive publications: In 2012, Canetto and Cleary [2] edited a part special issue of Social Science & Medicine on Men, Masculinities and Suicidal Behavior. ...
... Thus, gender has increasingly been emphasized as crucial for understanding suicidal behavior [2]. This is, for instance, reflected in the following comprehensive publications: In 2012, Canetto and Cleary [2] edited a part special issue of Social Science & Medicine on Men, Masculinities and Suicidal Behavior. In the same year, the Samaritans [3] in the UK published the research report Men, Suicide and Society: Why Disadvantaged Men in Mid-Life Die by Suicide. ...
... The individual emotional reactions must be understood on the background of their history and context and their relationship with those. Several publications and anthologies [2,4,28] have contributed significantly to the contextualized understanding of gendered suicide scripts, while suicide among men in the specific Norwegian context still is mainly unexplored. With the exception of Rasmussen et al. [29], who have contributed with their psychological autopsy study on suicide among young men, where they found suicides to be signature acts of compensatory masculinity, we still do not know much about the particularities among men in Norway. ...
Background:
Previous research has shown that men who adhere to traditional beliefs about masculinity have increased health risks compared to those who do not. Single marital status, unemployment, retirement, and physical illness are commonly known risk factors for male suicidal behavior. Most men struggling with these risk factors are, however, not suicidal. To find out more about what makes some men vulnerable to suicidal behavior, risk factors must be analyzed in light of men's life history as well as the social context where they live their masculinity.
Method:
We conducted semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews with 15 men (20-76 years old) who were admitted to hospital after a suicidal act. We analyzed the data by means of qualitative content analysis with a directed approach. The analysis was directed by the participants' reports on whether they had wanted to die or not at the time of the suicidal act. On this basis, they were divided into two groups: a "to die" and a "not to die" group. We then analyzed each group separately before comparing them.
Results:
In both groups, the main reason or trigger for the suicidal act were problems in intimate relationships. These problems were complex and connected to the men's lived masculinity, ranging from shame, or tainted masculine honor, to taking responsibility as a man for the wife. Some men pointed to pain and ennui as reasons or triggers for their suicidal act. Only one in the "not to die" group took full responsibility for the suicidal act, whereas all but one did the same in the "to die" group. The men not taking responsibility described the suicidal act as involuntary because of either alcohol or a kind of "black-out". Not taking responsibility for the act may be a way of preserving masculine identity.
Conclusion:
Relationship problems are the main reason or trigger of the suicidal act for most participants, but in very different ways, mirroring lived masculinity. The most striking finding is the uniqueness of each story, questioning the utility of standardized suicide prevention efforts.
... There is a need to move beyond identifying risk factors towards a deeper understanding of what places young men in particular at risk (Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Hawton et al., 2012). The role of age and gender in identity formation, as well as in suicide, has been largely unexplored in previous studies (Smalley, Scourfield, & Greenland, 2005;Swami, Stanistreet, & Payne, 2008). ...
... Despite the high suicide rate among young men and the increasing interest in issues pertaining to masculinity prior to their death (Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Lester et al., 2014), very few empirical studies with a gender sensitive approach exist. Available studies (sociological autopsy studies included) have, in various ways, focused on gender and cultural issues (Adinkrah, 2012;Alston, 2012;Burns & Mahalik, 2011;Kizza, Knizek, Kinyanda, & Hjelmeland, 2012;Scourfield, Fincham, Langer, & Shiner, 2012;Wyder, Ward, & De Leo, 2009). ...
Objective:
Young men constitute one of the highest risk groups for suicide in most countries. This gives reason to explore how meanings attached to masculinity can be evoked and handled when a young man takes his life.
Method:
In-depth interviews with five to eight informants for each of ten suicides, as well as suicide notes, were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Results:
The suicides appeared as signature acts of compensatory masculinity with the following themes: When hope is gone, no one must know; weakness was never allowed; and suicide conducted in a way to present oneself as heroic.
Conclusion:
The handling of masculinity in triggering suicidal plans and in carrying out suicide is intrinsically connected to avoidance of help-seeking behavior.
... Causes of suicide are, of course, complex. Globally, men commit suicide more than women (Canetto 2012;Payne et al. 2008) and this pattern is also reflected in Japan. 22 In 2014, there were a total of 26,433 suicides: 18,485 were men, 7,948 were women (Cabinet Office 2014). ...
... The Path is the goal itself' (1983: 372). 22 Although a global trend, if suicide rates are broken down by age and culture there are countries, such as Brazil, China, Cuba, Hong Kong, Paraguay, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, where young women's suicide rates are higher than young men's (Canetto 2008Canetto , 2012). 23 Compared to seven other industrialised countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, the UK and the United States – Korea is the only other country to have suicide as the leading cause of death among individuals between 15 and 34 years of age (Cabinet Office 2014). ...
Over the past two decades, Japan’s socioeconomic environment has undergone considerable changes prompted by both a long recession and the relaxation of particular labour laws in the 1990s and 2000s. Within this context, "freeters", part-time workers aged between fifteen and thirty-four who are not housewives or students, emerged into the public arena as a social problem.
This book, drawing on six years of ethnographic research, takes the lives of male freeters as a lens to examine contemporary ideas and experiences of adult masculinities. It queries how notions of adulthood and masculinity are interwoven and how these ideals are changing in the face of large-scale employment shifts. Highlighting the continuing importance of productivity and labour in understandings of masculinities, it argues that men experience and practice multiple masculinities which are often contradictory, sometimes limiting, and change as they age and in interaction with others, and with social structures, institutions, and expectations.
Providing a fascinating alternative to the stereotypical idea of the Japanese male as a salaryman, this book will be of huge interest to students and scholars of Japanese culture and society, social and cultural anthropology, gender and men's studies.
... 20 In recent years, increased attention has been paid to sex differences in the pathophysiology and treatment of various psychiatric conditions. [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] The ratio of male-to-female suicides is markedly different among all age groups worldwide, 28 and sex differences have also been observed in major depressive disorders and serotonin levels, which are known risk factors for suicide. 2,10,21,24,26,29,30 Moreover, a recent study identified sex-specific gene expression in suicide completers. ...
Background:
One potential cause of suicide is serotonergic dysfunction. Sex differences have been reported to modulate the effects of serotonergic polymorphisms. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is an enzyme that degrades serotonin and is located on the X chromosome. A previous study indicated that the upstream (u) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) in the MAOA gene promoter may be associated with suicide. However, a meta-analysis showed that this polymorphism may not be related to suicide. According to a recent study, compared with the uVNTR, the distal (d)VNTR and the haplotypes of the two VNTRs modulate MAOA expression.
Methods:
We examined the two VNTRs in the MAOA gene promoter in 1007 subjects who committed suicide and 844 healthy controls. We analyzed the two VNTRs using fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction assays. We conducted a meta-analysis for the two VNTRs to update it.
Results:
Our results demonstrated that neither the genotype-based associations nor allele/haplotype frequencies of the two VNTRs were significantly associated with suicide. In the meta-analysis, we did not indicate relationships between uVNTR and suicide nor did we identify articles analyzing dVNTR in suicide.
Conclusion:
Overall, we did not find a relationship between the two VNTRs in the MAOA promoter and suicide completion; thus, warranting further studies are required.
... On the one hand, the media's penchant for social explanations of male suicide and their empathic attitudes toward male suicide may support public attention and resources being invested in its prevention. On the other hand, the over-reliance on social explanations of male suicide, together with the understanding attitudes toward male suicide, may contribute to male suicide being viewed as a valiant, masculine response to forbidding adversities, and as inevitable (Canetto & Cleary, 2012). Considering the role, in actual suicidal behavior, of suicide permissive attitudes (e.g., Phillips & Luth, 2020) and of suicide valorizing media coverage (Sisask & Värnik, 2012;Stack, 2005), the overemphasis on the social determinants of male suicide, together with the empathic attitudes toward male suicide, may inadvertently contribute to men's higher suicide mortality. ...
Background: There is substantial variability, by culture, in suicide rates, and also in suicide beliefs and attitudes. Suicide beliefs and attitudes predict actual suicidality. They also are elements of cultural scripts of suicide. Most suicide-scripts research has been conducted in Anglophone countries. Aims: This study investigates women's and men's suicide scripts in Italy. Methods: Italy's suicide scripts, including beliefs about what causes suicide, were explored via analyses of newspaper stories (N = 923) of women's and men's suicides. Results: Italian newspapers mostly featured men's suicide stories, consistent with Italian men's higher suicide mortality. Women's suicide was narrated as an unexpected act signaling personal (e.g., emotional and private-relationship) problems. By contrast, men's suicide was framed as relatively understandable response to serious public-life/social adversities (e.g., an economic downturn), and as a death of legitimate despair. Limitations: Social media suicide stories were not included in this study. Conclusion: In Italy, as in several countries with higher male suicide mortality, female suicide is psychologized and considered irrational while male suicide is viewed as a symptom of serious public-life/social problems, and therefore as deserving respect and empathy. The preference for social explanations of male suicide, together with the empathic attitudes, may contribute to male suicide being relatively more permissible and less stigmatized, and therefore also to men's higher suicide mortality.
... Most authors defined toxic masculinity as overly committed to masculinity norms. Some authors also mentioned the impact of toxic masculinity on men's mental health such as: silent crisis (Herron et al., 2020); high possibility of suicide (Khan et al., 2020), mental stress and avoidance of reaching out for help (Harris et al., 2021;Oliffe & Phillips, 2008;Canetto & Cleary, 2012). While going through the papers that had been published, we noticed that those are mainly carried out in European or American countries. ...
To interpret toxic masculinity and the effect that it may have on mental health status of Vietnamese undergraduate students through commonly used tools for this topic, our research has used Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) of Levant et al. (2020) (31 items version) and Bach Mai hospital’s Vietnamese version of The Depression, Anxiety and stress Scale - 21 items (DASS-21). The result of data analysis with IBM SPSS software version 22.0 with convenience sampling on 295 male undergraduates (M age= 20.42, SD= 1.08) shows that the level of conformity to masculinity norms in Vietnamese students is at a moderate level. Moreover, students tend to express toxic masculinity distinctly through one component: playboy (19.7%). While running correlation test among components of CMNI - 31 items version with Depression, Anxiety, Stress components in DASS-21, we have discovered some noteworthy correlations such as: positive correlation of Emotional Control and Depression, Anxiety, stress; inverse correlations between “Heterosexual Self-preservation” - “Depression, Anxiety, stress” and “Risk - taking” - “Depression, Anxiety, stress”, “Winning” - “Depression”. Some discussions regarding this research’s generalized outcome are also mentioned.
... Much has been documented regarding influential factors of suicide for old adults in rural China. Typical examples include depression and other mental health issues (6), poor QOL (9,10), lack of social support (11,12), lack of education, low income (13,14), unstable marital status (15,16) and gender (17,18). However, when these factors are analyzed together in a multivariate model, many are no longer statistically significant, suggesting the lack of independent effect of individual factors. ...
Objectives
To identify mechanisms underpinning the complex relationships between influential factors and suicide risk with psychological autopsy data and machine learning method.DesignA case-control study with suicide deaths selected using two-stage stratified cluster sampling method; and 1:1 age-and-gender matched live controls in the same geographic area.SettingDisproportionately high risk of suicide among rural elderly in China.ParticipantsA total of 242 subjects died from suicide and 242 matched live controls, 60 years of age and older.MeasurementsSuicide death was determined based on the ICD-10 codes. Influential factors were measured using validated instruments and commonly accepted variables.ResultsOf the total sample, 270 (55.8%) were male with mean age = 74.2 (SD = 8.2) years old. Four CART models were used to select influential factors using the criteria: areas under the curve (AUC) ≥ 0.8, sensitivity ≥ 0.8, and specificity ≥ 0.8. Each model included a lead predictor plus 8–10 hierarchically nested factors. Depression was the first to be selected in Model 1 as the lead predictor; After depression was excluded, quality of life (QOL) was selected in Model 2; After depression and QOL were excluded, social support was selected in Model 3. Finally, after all 3 lead factors were excluded, marital status was selected in Model 4. In addition, CART demonstrated the significance of several influential factors that would not be associated with suicide if the data were analyzed using the conventional logistic regression.Conclusion
Associations between the key factors and suicide death for Chinese rural elderly are not linear and parallel but hierarchically nested that could not be effectively detected using conventional statistical methods. Findings of this study provide new and compelling evidence supporting tailored suicide prevention interventions at the familial, clinical and community levels.
... High male suicide rates worldwide continue to attract research attention toward better understanding (and preventing) the diverse risks and pathways for that dire outcome (Richardson et al., 2021). Among the underpinnings of male suicide, men's mental illness, especially anxiety (Fisher et al., 2021) , depression and suicidality (Canetto & Cleary, 2012) have drawn research attention. While such insights, and the application of gender-specific mental illness findings are vitally important to reducing male suicide, life course contributors to, and amplifiers of men's anxiety, depression and suicidality are understudied. ...
Male suicide continues to be a significant issue worldwide for which there are a myriad of social risk factors. Amongst these, distressed and/or disrupted (i.e., separation, divorce) intimate partner relationships are known to heighten men's mental illness and suicide risk. The current qualitative study offers novel insights to the connections between masculinity and mental illness in and after men's intimate partner relationships. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 47 Canadian and Australian men, three themes were inductively derived: 1) The trouble inside, 2) Breaking up and breaking down, and 3) Finding help. The ‘trouble inside’ results revealed relationship transitions wherein challenges to couple dynamics flowed from diverse life course events (conflict, illness, bereavement, co-parenting). Partnership transgressions (most often infidelity) also featured to heighten men's mental illness vulnerabilities and threaten the feasibility of the relationship. ‘Breaking up and breaking down’ chronicled participants' anxiety, depression and suicidality in the aftermath of their relationship ending. Herein, substance use and other maladaptive behaviours were used by men to blunt feelings and/or self-medicate mental illness. These strategies were ineffectual for moving on from blaming partners or grieving the loss of support and social connectedness provided by ex-partners. ‘Finding help’ included men's eventual self-help, uptake of informal assistance from friends and family, formal professional care services, and the use of facilitated male peer group resources. Norming the use of these diverse help resources were men's alignments to strength-based asset-building masculine ideals, wherein their help-seeking was bridged to, and reflective of their (albeit latent) self-reliance and commitment to better managing their mental health and future relationships. Highlighting the gendered dimensions of mental illness in men's intimate partner relationships, the current study also thoughtfully considers content and contexts for the delivery of tailored upstream suicide prevention programs focussed on men building better relationships.
... The unexpected lack of sex differences in the present study might be influenced by cultural context in which gender norms play a part [53]. Studies are needed in varied cultural settings. ...
Relatively little research attention has been paid to sex issues in late life suicidal behaviour. The aim was to compare clinical characteristics of women and men aged 70+ who were hospitalized after a suicide attempt. We hypothesized higher depression and anxiety scores in women, and we expected to find that men would more often attribute the attempt to health problems and compromised autonomy. Participants (56 women and 47 men, mean age 80) were interviewed by a psychologist. In addition to psychiatric and somatic health assessments, participants responded to an open-ended question concerning attributions of the attempt. There were no sex differences in depression and anxiety, but women were more likely to report that they found their situation hopeless (67.9% vs. 43.8%, p = 0.02). At least one serious physical disability was noted in 60.7% of the women and 53.2% of the men (p = 0.55). Proportions attributing their attempt to somatic illness did not differ (women, 14.5% vs. men 17.4%, p = 0.79), and similar proportions attributed the attempt to reduced autonomy (women, 21.8% vs. men, 26.1 %, p = 0.64). The unexpected lack of sex differences might be influenced by cultural context in which sex norms play a part.
... Across diverse settings it has been observed that men in particular may become plagued by overwhelming and confusing thoughts, leading them in some cases to "give up on" pursuing work and education, to become immersed in problematic drug and alcohol use, and even to take their own lives (Adinkrah 2012, Kizza, Knizek et al. 2012, Niehaus 2012, Fast and Moyer 2018, Kposowa, Ezzat et al. 2019. Framing these problems as reflective of a new "crisis of masculinity" obscures the fact that anxieties surrounding (inherently unstable) masculine ideals, and escapes from these anxieties such as substance use and suicide, are not new (Canetto andCleary 2012, Kimmel 2017, Jordan and Chandler 2019). It also obscures the persistence of patriarchy and the harms that male privilege continues to generate. ...
In our field sites and clinical practice in East Africa, we regularly encounter men who have become overwhelmed by “thinking too many thoughts” and “gone crazy from confusion,” brought about by the problems of life created by deepening social, economic and political precarity. Across diverse settings, many African men continue to be enmeshed in social and material obligations and expectations that position them as economic consumers and providers for those they care for and love. When these gendered obligations, expectations and fantasies are left unfulfilled, this sense of failure can be embodied to produce particular kinds of health effects. Namely, men may become plagued by troublesome and confusing thoughts, leading them in some cases to “give up on” (as our research subjects put it) pursuing work and education, to become immersed in problematic drug and alcohol use, and even to take their own lives. While these afflictions can be glossed using the language of depression, anxiety, addiction and suicide, such medicalizing frames may obscure more nuanced social, structural and affective diagnoses of what is happening to men across Africa and globally. Anthropology provides us with alternative frames through which to understand how psychological wounds are made—and healed.
... Male suicide cases appeared to have a poorer quality of life than female cases. These findings underscore the effect of gender roles on suicidal behaviour [8]. The older men in rural China, who are suffering from somatic illness, worsening daily living ability and poorer quality of life, may be considered a burden to their families. ...
Background:
despite unique gender patterns of suicide among older people in rural China, research addressing this issue is scarce. This study aims to clarify the gender-specific risk factors of late-life suicide in rural China.
Methods:
the study included 242 persons (51% male) aged 60 and above who had committed suicide between June 2014 and September 2015 in the rural areas of three provinces of China. Using 1:1 matched case-control design, 242 living controls matched in age, gender and neighbourhood were randomly selected. Psychological autopsy interviews and psychological assessments were conducted with two informants for each suicide and living control, respectively.
Results:
men used alcohol before suicide more than women (12.6 versus 4.7%, P < 0.05). There was no gender difference in suicide method, suicide intent and previous attempts. Univariate analysis showed that married status, mental disorder, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, impulsivity, loneliness, social support, family function and quality of life were associated with suicide in both genders. For men, other risk factors were chronic physical illness and functions of daily living. Variables remaining in the multivariable model for both men and women were depressive symptoms and hopelessness.
Discussion:
depression and hopelessness are the two major risk factors for suicide among both older men and woman in rural China. Suicide prevention programmes focusing on depression and hopelessness in this population are indicated. Also needed are continued efforts to develop and refined gender-specialised strategies to identify high-risk individuals or groups and to enhance targeted support in the rural community.
... For this study, we adopt a constructionist perspective and define gender as a dynamic social construct that is shaped by social structures and norms (Canetto & Cleary, 2012). We recognize that masculinity is a fundamental determinant influencing men's health throughout their life course (Evans et al., 2011). ...
We analyzed comments published on the Man Up Facebook page ( manuptvseries) during the roll-out of the Man Up digital campaign. The aim was to gain insight into how the public perceived the Man Up campaign and the conversation topics that the campaign instigated. We downloaded Facebook threads (posts and comments) from the manuptvseries page using NCapture and performed conventional content analysis on a random set of comments ( n = 2,236) to identify how the campaign was perceived and what were the popular conversations. Overall, the campaign was perceived extremely positively by the Facebook audience showing many comments endorsing the content of the campaign by sharing among their Facebook community. The strongest themes were expressing emotions, help and support, and masculinity/gender roles which related to the higher level theme of expressions of masculinity. Another strong theme was suicide and topics related to suicide. Comments acknowledged the importance of discussing the issues of male suicide and masculinity publicly. Men were less engaged with topics on masculinity and expressing emotions compared with women and recognized stigma around help-seeking for mental health issues. The Man Up Facebook campaign did foster a public discussion on masculinity and suicide. A gendered approach in mental health promotion is needed with stigma still present for men when seeking help for mental health problems. Social media holds considerable potential for the use of health promotion campaigns aiming to increase interpersonal communication on challenging health topics. Yet, these campaigns need to carefully manage the risk of reinforcing stereotypes.
... Suicide or attempted suicide by the elderly has also been associated with poor social integration and self-perception as a burden on others [64]. According to other researchers, suicide may be seen as a solution to personal and social decline or may even be related to a resistance to seeking help among men, due to the masculine stereotype of emotional inhibition [65][66][67][68]. Some authors have attributed a higher susceptibility in some elderly males to the possible loss of "chromosome Y" in peripheral blood cells [69]. ...
Discrepant results have been published by studies comparing deaths by suicide with attempted suicides. This study aimed to determine factors associated with suicides and attempted suicides in Andalusia (Spain) between 2007 and 2013, comparing sex, age, year, and suicide method between these populations. A retrospective study was conducted of data on deaths by suicide and attempted suicides over a seven-year period, calculating the sex and age rates for each behavior. Adjusted Poisson regression was used to analyze the association with study variables, and incidence rate ratios were estimated. During the seven-year study period, 20,254 attempted suicides and 5202 deaths by suicide were recorded. The prevalence of attempted suicide did not differ between the sexes, whereas the prevalence of deaths by suicide was three-fold higher among males than among females and increased with higher age. The most frequently used method was the same in males and females for suicide attempts, but differed between the sexes for suicides. The combined influence of sex and age was greater in the model for death by suicide than in the model for attempted suicide. The key differentiating factor was the method used, while the finding of greatest concern was the suicide behavior among the elderly. Preventive strategies should take these differences into account.
... Beyond well-being, the capacity to voice one's experiences to listeners may also be linked to maintaining motivation and interest (Thoman, Sansone, Fraughton, & Pasupathi, 2012;Thoman, Sansone, & Pasupathi, 2007). Finally, a cultural silencing of distress and vulnerability can be conceptually related to male reluctance to seek out health care (e.g., Yousaf, Grunfeld, & Hunter, 2015) and to men's vulnerability to suicide (e.g., Canetto & Cleary, 2012). ...
... Previous analyses have highlighted the importance of hegemonic masculinity in understanding suicide among men (Canetto & Cleary, 2012). However, this may inadvertently position men as the 'new victims', in a way which does not attend to the simultaneous privileges -and privileged expectations -men, especially white men, might embody. ...
In this article I argue that critical phenomenology, informed by critical race and intersectional scholarship, offers a useful lens through which to consider suicide and self-harm among men. To illustrate this, I draw on a narrative informed analysis of the accounts of 10 men who had experienced self-harm, read through Sara Ahmed’s queer phenomenology. Two themes are emphasised: gendered, raced, classed bodies that are (unexpectedly) stopped; and bodies that, despite being stopped, still ‘do’ – enacting violence and control against self and other. Critical phenomenology can support much needed examination of the complex ways in which socioeconomic class, race, gender and age structure experiences of distress among different social groups. This approach enables a simultaneous examination of the way that privilege and oppression may shape both the experience of distress, and the way it is responded to – including through violence against the self, and against others.
... We recruited a purposive sample of seven gay men who had attempted suicide as adults and invited them to share their life stories in one-on-one interviews. We focused the present study on individuals who identified as male, given the potential influence of gender roles and expectations on suicide attempts (Canetto & Cleary, 2012), the persistent gender-binary socialization that renders adult lesbian/gay life socially stratified (Eliason & Schope, 2007), and Salway's own experience as a gay man. We were more flexible with regard to sexuality and included any man who identified as gay, bisexual, queer, twospirit, or questioning. ...
In this study, we document life stories of gay men who attempted suicide as adults. Our goal is to expand the collection of narratives used to understand this persistent health inequity. We interviewed seven adult gay men, each of whom had attempted suicide two to four times, and identified five narratives. Pride narratives resist any connection between sexuality and suicide. Trauma-and-stress narratives enable coping through acknowledgment of sexual stigma as a fundamental trauma and cause of subsequent stress and suicidal thoughts. Memorial narratives prevent suicide by maintaining a strong sense of “permanent” identity. Outing narratives demand that the listener confronts the legacy of unjust practices of homosexual surveillance and “outing,” which historically resulted in gay suicides. Finally, postgay narratives warn of the risk of suicide among older generations of gay men who feel erased from the goals of modern gay movements. Sexual identity concealment or invisibility featured prominently in all five narratives.
... Byng et al. do not address gender explicitly, their analysis has clear relevance to previous work addressing the gendered nature of suicide and self-harm (Canetto and Cleary 2012;Wyllie et al. 2012). A focus on narratives of control and agency forms the final mechanism proposed by this review. ...
This chapter provides a rapid evidence review of empirical studies, from the UK and Republic of
Ireland, that have examined associations between suicidal behaviour (suicide and non-fatal self
harm) and area-level deprivation. Five electronic databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Social
Sciences Citation Index and EconLit) were searched from 2005 to 2015. Eighteen studies were
included; one was a cohort study, eight were repeat cross-sectional studies and nine were cross
sectional studies. Overall, these studies found a strong association between area-level deprivation
and suicidal behaviour: as area-level deprivation increased, so did suicidal behaviour. The chapter
contextualises these results by applying insights from the wider geographical literature about
health and place, leading to the identification of potential mechanisms (‘suicidogenic’ pathways)
underpinning the association between area-level deprivation and suicidal behaviour. These
mechanisms include compositional factors (the characteristics of people living in deprived areas,
such as marital status) and contextual factors (the nature of the places themselves, such as the
social environment). It concludes by reflecting on the implications for policy, practice and
research, suggesting that, as there is a socio-spatial gradient in suicidal behaviours, every local
area should have a suicide prevention strategy and action plan and that deprived areas should
have additional support via a proportionate universalism approach to reducing geographical
inequalities in suicide.
... We also conducted subgroup analysis to investigate sex differences because males tend toward a higher suicide rate than females do among all age groups worldwide. 40 Furthermore, we determined differences between violent and nonviolent suicides in this study because lethality associated with violent methods is considerably higher than that associated with nonviolent methods. 41 Moreover, some previous studies showed differences between subjects with violent vs nonviolent methods of suicide in other polymorphisms (for the COMT and BDNF genes) related to completed suicide. ...
Background
Numerous studies suggest that inflammation plays a key role in suicidal behavior. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a proinflammatory cytokine, has received increasing attention in depression research. However, no study has investigated whether MIF has genetic involvement in completed suicide. In this study, we sought to explore the relationship between two functional polymorphisms on the MIF gene promoter (MIF-794CATT5?8 microsatellite and MIF-173G/C single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]) and completed suicide by using one of the largest samples of suicide completers ever reported.
Methods
The subjects comprised 602 suicide completers and 728 healthy controls. We genotyped MIF-794CATT5?8 microsatellite by polymerase chain reaction?based size discrimination assay and MIF-173G/C SNP by TaqMan? SNP genotyping assay. The allele-, genotype-, or haplotype-based association analyses between the suicide completers and the controls were carried out with the ?? test, the Cochran?Armitage trend test, or Fisher?s exact test.
Results
Analyses of allele or genotype frequency distributions of the polymorphisms studied here did not reveal any significant differences between the suicide completers and the controls. Haplotype analysis also revealed no association with completed suicide.
Conclusion
To our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the genetic association between MIF and completed suicide. Our results suggest that the effects of MIF-794CATT5?8 microsatellite and MIF-173G/C SNP on the MIF gene promoter might not contribute to the genetic risk of completed suicide in the Japanese population.
... Byng et al. do not address gender explicitly, their analysis has clear relevance to previous work addressing the gendered nature of suicide and self-harm (Canetto and Cleary 2012; Wyllie et al. 2012). A focus on narratives of control and agency forms the final mechanism proposed by this review. ...
The UK and Ireland have emerged from the global economic downturn, currently enjoying periods of
steady (or, in the case of Ireland, rapid) economic recovery. However, the UK’s decision to leave the
European Union has cast considerable uncertainty on the future economic prosperity of both
countries. Improving our understanding of the association between rapid economic change, including
recessions, economic recoveries and economic uncertainty, and suicidal behaviour may help policy
makers develop better strategies for suicide prevention in this uncertain climate. This chapter reviews
recent literature, considers how economic theories have sought to explain suicidal behaviour, and
reflects on what potential actions might be taken to tackle suicide during times of economic change.
The review finds that, according to the majority of studies, unemployment is a key risk factor for
suicidal behaviour in men; and this higher risk is exacerbated during a downturn or period of
economic growth. This association between suicidal behaviour and unemployment is much weaker
for women, although the risk may become more pronounced as more women occupy high positions
in the workforce. Economic uncertainty, the magnitude of decline in income relative to local wages,
female participation in the workforce, unmanageable debt, including the threat or fear or home
repossessions, job insecurity and business downsizing may also increase risk. This implies a need for
carefully developed, multi-faceted suicide prevention strategies that focus on the alleviation of risk
factors, for instance through adequate social welfare payments, psychological support for
unemployed people and those at risk of redundancy, better training for workplace managers and
increased access to not-for-profit debt advice services.
... 5 Others identify theories of suicide related to gender roles and socialization (e.g., male masculinity). 6 These theories can provide a lens for differential distribution of specific premorbid circumstances impacting male and female suicide in mid-life, such as mental health/ substance abuse problems (MH/SA-P), sociodemographic factors, 7 and life stressors, including relationship and physical health problems. [8][9][10][11] Understanding life stressors in particular is important because they are often modifiable, whereas many people with MH/SA-P do not seek out treatment 12 and sociodemographic factors are often immutable. ...
Introduction:
Between 1999 and 2013, rates of suicide in mid-life increased more than 30%. The purpose of this study is to examine life stressors impacting middle-aged suicide, to determine whether these stressors vary by sex, and to explore their co-occurrence.
Methods:
A random sample of 315 men and 315 women aged 35-64 years was selected from 17 states implementing the National Violent Death Reporting System from its inception in 2003 to 2011. Data collection took place between 2003 and 2011 and analysis occurred in 2015. Analysis included coding circumstances of death noted in the law enforcement and coroner/medical examiner reports using an investigator-designed coding instrument. Using the most commonly cited life stressors as a basis, thematic analyses were conducted for cases. Quantitative comparisons of the most common circumstances by sex were calculated via multivariable logistic regression.
Results:
The five most common life stressors of suicide included intimate partner, job/financial, health, family, and criminal/legal problems. In adjusted analyses, job/financial problems and criminal/legal problems were more common among men, whereas health and family problems were more common among women. Men and women had similar rates of intimate partner problems. Life stressors also co-occurred, as found per qualitative and quantitative analyses.
Conclusions:
Men and women in mid-life have both common and unique circumstances preceding suicide. Prevention strategies that consider these circumstances and co-occurring circumstances are warranted.
... Although it should be noted that biological sex may be a proxy for other related construct(s) (e.g. sex roles and related individual differences) that underlie these sex differences (Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Witte et al., 2012), biological sex is a relatively simply measured, but fallible, indicator for summarizing gender differences. ...
Background and aims(s): The study evaluated the contribution of coping strategies, based on the Toulousiane conceptualization of coping, to the prediction of suicide risk and tested the moderating effect of gender, controlling for depressive symptoms.
Method: A two-time data collection design was used. A community sample of 195 adults (91 men and 104 women) ranging in age from 19 to 65 years and living in several Portuguese regions, mostly in Alentejo, participated in this research.
Results: Gender, depressive symptoms, control, and withdrawal and conversion significantly predicted suicide risk and gender interacted with control, withdrawal and conversion, and social distraction in the prediction of suicide risk. Coping predicted suicide risk only for women.
Conclusions: Results have important implications for assessment and intervention with suicide at-risk individuals. In particular,the evaluation and development of coping skills is indicated as a goal for therapists having suicide at-risk women as clients.
... La recherche sur le suicide requiert de porter attention à une multitude de facteurs de risque et de protection, de même qu'à des circonstances particulières qui s'influencent mutuellement. La dépression est le facteur de risque le plus fréquemment associé au suicide (Brownhill, Wilhelm, Barclay, & Schmied, 2005; Canetto & Cleary, 2012; Chagnon et al., 2008; Mishara & Tousignant, 2007; Préville, Boyer, Hébert, Bravo, & Seguin, 2005; Séguin, Lesage, Turecki, Guy, & Daigle, 2005). Mais cette association pose problème lorsque la distribution de la dépression et du suicide dans la population est observée selon le sexe. ...
Le projet pilote « Et moi, comment ça va ? » (EMCCV) visait notamment à amener les individus de la grande région de Québec, et plus particulièrement les hommes de 35 à 49 ans, à se poser cette question afin qu'ils se préoccupent davantage, de façon proactive, de leur santé et de leur bien-être. Trois grands types d'activités ont été retenus pour cela, soit : l'élaboration et la mise en ligne du site web « Allume.org », une campagne de marketing social à la radio et sur les autobus ainsi que des activités de sensibilisation dans les médias d'information. S'appuyant sur l'importance d'agir en amont, EMCCV a voulu miser sur des aspects positifs, comme le sens des responsabilités et l'autonomie, afin de promouvoir des solutions accessibles ainsi que susciter une réflexion à propos du besoin potentiel de consulter des ressources d'aide professionnelle. Le projet a été développé de façon à s'adresser plus particulièrement aux hommes âgés de 35 à 49 ans qui adhèrent davantage à l'idéologie masculine traditionnelle (IMT). Il s'agit du groupe d'âge qui connaît le plus fort taux de suicide (Gagné, Légaré, Perron, & St-Laurent, 2011). Ce rapport est divisé en deux parties. La première, comptant principalement sur les contributions des concepteurs du projet dont Philippe Roy, Lynda Poirier et Michel Drouin, présente la réflexion clinique ayant mené à « Et moi, comment ça va ? » ainsi que les différentes étapes de réalisation de celui-ci. La seconde partie, rédigée par les évaluateurs du projet, Patrick Villeneuve et François Déry, examine le modèle logique utilisé et dans quelle mesure les objectifs proximaux visés ont été atteints. Certains constats sont ensuite dégagés.
... With regard to the prevention of suicide among European-descent older men, the findings of this analysis point to the value of challenging the indignities-of-aging suicide script as well as the belief that suicide is a masculine response to aging. Education about the costs and dangers, with regard to suicide, of certain aspects (e.g., the being-in-control dimension) of dominant ideologies of masculinity would also likely be useful in initiatives aimed at reducing European-descent older male suicidality (Canetto 1997; Canetto and Cleary 2012; Canetto and Lester 1998; Canetto and Sakinofsky 1998; Möller-Leimkühler 2003; Oliffe et al. 2011; Springer and Mouzon 2011; Stanistreet, Bambra, and ScottSamuel 2005). There are limitations to this analysis. ...
Globally, older adults have higher suicide rates than other age-groups. However, it is predominantly men who die of suicide in late adulthood, with variability by culture. In the United States, European-descent men are overrepresented among suicide decedents. In this article, theories and evidence about aging adversities, individual dispositions, and cultural influences were evaluated for their potential to explain the suicide vulnerability of European-descent older men. Aging adversities were not found to account for these men’s suicide proneness. European-descent older men are exposed to less severe aging adversities than older women or ethnic-minority men—though they may be more impacted by them. Rigidity in coping and in sense of self, consistent with hegemonic-masculinity scripts, emerged as individual-level clues. The indignities-of-aging and the masculinity-of-suicide scripts may be cultural influences. This analysis shows how consideration of masculinities and suicide scripts expands our understanding of older men’s suicide as well as, likely, our tools for its prevention.
... Another limitation is that the older adult respondents were predominantly female. The strength of this study is that it used a cultural perspective to understand suicide in a culturally understudied group, European-descent men (Canetto & Cleary, 2012). This choice recognizes that every suicidal act is culturally grounded and regulated (Canetto & Lester, 1998;Hjelmeland, 2011), and also that culture is something everyone 'has' and does (Corin, 1996). ...
Objectives:
In the United States, suicide rates are highest among European American older adults. This phenomenon calls attention to cultural factors, specifically, the suicide beliefs and attitudes of European Americans. Beliefs and attitudes matter in the vulnerability to suicide. As predicted by cultural scripts of suicide theory, suicide is most likely among individuals and in communities where it is expected and is most acceptable. This study examined beliefs about the precipitants of, and protectors against older adult suicide, as well as suicide attitudes, in a predominantly European American community.
Design and methods:
Two hundred and fifty-five older adults (86% European American) and 281 younger adults (81% European American) indicated what they thought were the most likely older adult suicide precipitants and protectors, and their opinion about older adult suicide, depending on precipitant.
Results:
Health problems were the most endorsed older adult suicide precipitants. Suicide precipitated by health problems was also rated most positively (e.g., rational, courageous). Older adults, persons with more education, and persons who did not identify with a religion expressed the most favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, across suicide precipitants. Men viewed older adult suicide as more admissible, and women, with more sympathy. Perceived suicide protectors included religiosity among older adults, and supportive relationships among younger adults.
Conclusions:
The belief, in this study's predominantly European American community, that older adult suicide is triggered by health problems, together with favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, suggest an enabling older adult suicide script, with implications for suicide risk and prevention.
... 10 There is also empirical evidence that the factors underpinning male depression and suicide are intricately tied to masculinities. 11,12 An example of this resides in men's depression itself whereby men are formally diagnosed with depression at half the rate of women. 2 This longstanding epidemiologic profi le inadvertently positions depression as a women's illness, which in turn adds to the stigma associated with men who are known to experience depression. The gendering of depression as predominately a women's health problem also infl uences NPs and male patients alike in that they might not be attuned to the potential for male depression. ...
The discordant relationship between men's low rates of diagnosed depression and high male suicide rates continues to prevail in North America. NPs are in a unique position to prevent suicide through recognizing and addressing the gendered nature of men's depression.
... The finding that this group of young South African men hold attitudes and beliefs that place them at risk of engaging in suicidal behavior is congruent with a large body of literature that reports that in developed countries men are more likely than women to adopt beliefs and behaviors that compromise their health, while simultaneously being less inclined than women to engage in behaviors that promote longevity and well-being (Brown & McCreedy, 1986;Brownhill et al., 2005;Canetto & Cleary, 2012;Cato & Canetto, 2003;Courtenay, 2003;Houle, Mishara, & Chagnon, 2008;Kandrack, Grant, & Segall, 1991;Lonnquist, Weiss, & Larsen, 1992;Mechanic & Cleary, 1980;Oliffe et al., 2012;Patrick, Covin, Fulop, Calfas, & Lovato, 1997;Payne et al., 2008;Ratner, Bottorff, Johnson, & Hayduk, 1994;Robertson, 2007 ;Rossi, 1992;Sayers, 2010 ;Walker, Volkan, Sechrist, & Pender, 1988 ). Likewise there is a growing body of literature from South Africa that identifies how constructions of masculinities compromise the health and well-being of men (Barker & Ricardo, 2005;Jewkes, Morrell, Sikweyiya, Dunkle, & Penn-Kekana, 2012a, 2012b. ...
Worldwide suicide is a deeply gendered phenomenon. In South Africa, approximately 80% of suicide completers are male. This study aimed to investigate how a group of young South African men understand and think about suicidal behavior. In-depth semistructured interviews and thematic analysis using a grounded theory approach revealed that this group of young South African men had permissive attitudes to suicide and viewed suicide as a morally defensible alternative in specific situations. They spoke of suicide as a goal-directed behavior that provides a means of regaining control, asserting power, communicating, and rendering oneself visible. From this perspective, suicide was understood as a brave act requiring strength and determination. These data have congruence with the Theory of Gender and Health, which proposes that constructions of masculinity may be implicated in the attitudes and beliefs young men in South Africa hold toward suicide.
... As feminists have argued, gendered subjects are constituted and reconstituted through social practices as subjects navigate and occupy subject positions that accommodate, resist or transgress normative understandings of masculinities and femininities (Ramazanoglu 1993;Weedon 1997). Here, the subject is understood as an effect of discourse (Foucault 1994) and gender is understood as a discursive process by which people and practices become understood as 'masculine' or 'feminine' (Canetto and Cleary 2012;Canetto and Lester 1998). Constructions of masculinity and femininity are, therefore, drawn upon to constitute a gendered identity. ...
The drought-stricken Australian rural landscape, cultures of farming masculinity and an economy of value, moral worth and pride form a complex matrix of discourses that shape subjective dynamics that render suicide a possibility for distressed farmers. However, the centrality of a ‘mental health’ perspective and reified notions of ‘stoicism’ within this discursive field operate to exclude consideration of the ways in which cultural identity is linked to emotions. To illuminate and explore complex connections between subjectivity, moral worth and affect in relation to understanding farmer suicide, this article draws on theory and literature on agrarian discourses of masculine subjectivity and shame to analyze empirical data from interviews with farmers during times of environmental, social and economic crisis. The idealized notion of the farming man as ‘Aussie battler’ emerges from romantic agrarian mythology in which pride and self-worth are vested in traditional values of hard work, struggle and self-sacrifice. However, the structural context of agriculture, as it is shaped by the political economy of neoliberalism, threatens farm economic viability and is eroding the pride, self-worth and masculine identity of farmers. The article suggests that the notion of the ‘fallen hero’ captures a discursive shift of a masculinity ‘undone’, a regress from the powerful position of masculine subjectivity imbued with pride to one of shame that is of central importance to understanding how suicide emerges as a possibility for farmers.
Objective:
In most countries, men are at higher risk than women for suicide death. Research focused on masculinity and men's mental health increasingly demonstrates that relationships between gender and various health outcomes, including suicidality, is complex as these relationships can be further explained by certain psychological processes or health behaviors. The objective of this study was to extend this area of research in a national sample of US men (n = 785) by investigating if their adherence to certain hegemonic masculine gender role norms (toughness and self-reliance through mechanical skills) is associated with the suppression of distressing thoughts and if thought suppression then increases their risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Methods:
Men in the US who have recently experienced a stressful life event completed an anonymous online survey. Structural Equational Modeling (SEM) was used to test for direct and indirect effects (i.e., mediation) between variables.
Results:
Men's engagement in thought suppression mediated the relationship between self-reliance and suicidality. The norm of toughness was both directly related to suicidality and mediated by thought suppression.
Conclusions:
Thought suppression appears to be a process that provides some explanation for the relationships between hegemonic masculine norms and suicidality in men, though this study indicated it may play only a small role. Research continues to build that certain masculine norms, such as self-reliance and toughness, are particularly concerning for men's health.HIGHLIGHTSMen's thought suppression mediates the relationship between self-reliance and suicidalityMen's toughness impacts suicidality both directly and via engagement in thought suppressionThese findings have implications for interventions that help men manage distressing thoughts.
Objectives
To examine the understanding and practice of shared decision-making (SDM) within the context of recovery-oriented care across Veterans Health Administration (VHA) inpatient mental healthcare units.
Design
VHA inpatient mental health units were scored on the Recovery-Oriented Acute Inpatient Scale (RAIN). Scores on the RAIN item for medication SDM were used to rank each site from lowest to highest. The top 7 and bottom 8 sites (n=15) were selected for additional analyses using a mixed-methods approach, involving qualitative interviews, observation notes and quantitative data.
Setting
34 VHA inpatient mental health units located in every geographical region of the USA.
Participants
55 treatment team members.
Results
Our results identified an overarching theme of ‘power-sharing’ that describes participants’ conceptualisation and practice of medication decision-making. Three levels of power sharing emerged from both interview and observational data: (1) No power sharing: patients are excluded from treatment decisions; (2) Limited power sharing: patients are informed of treatment decisions but have limited influence on the decision-making process; and (3) Shared-power: patients and providers work collaboratively and contribute to medication decisions. Comparing interview to observational data, only observational data indicating those themes differentiate top from bottom scoring sites on the RAIN SDM item scores. All but one top scoring sites indicated shared power medication decision processes, whereas bottom sites reflected mostly no power sharing. Additionally, our findings highlight three key factors that facilitate the implementation of SDM: inclusion of veteran in treatment teams, patient education and respect for patient autonomy.
Conclusions
Implementation of SDM appears feasible in acute inpatient mental health units. Although most participants were well informed about SDM, that knowledge did not always translate into practice, which supports the need for ongoing implementation support for SDM. Additional contextual factors underscore the value of patients’ self-determination as a guiding principle for SDM, highlighting the role of a supporting, empowering and autonomy-generating environment.
Following a death, grief reactions can occur at the personal, family, and societal levels. Death is a stressor and at the individual level, grief responses not only are biological in nature but also are influenced by prior learning and religious doctrines. At the familial level the group process, the level of cohesiveness of the group or cultural orientation (e.g., individualism versus collectivism), can affect individual grief reactions. At the societal level, also, in responding to a loss (of prominent citizens) actions taken by the government include flying of flag at half-staff (or half-mast) in honor of the deceased, lying the decedent’s body in state or in honor, burial at National Cemetery, ensuring justice for the deceased through a judicial system, and passing of legislation to discourage the future happening of a similar death. In the USA, the federal government establishes a National Monument and a Memorial Day; and at the state governments provide burial assistance to indigent citizens.
In the United States, suicide is a leading cause of death among college-aged persons, particularly among men. However, while college-aged men are at higher risk for suicide, it is women who exhibit higher incidences of nonfatal suicidal behavior. Nonfatal suicidal behavior (NFSB) includes acts such as suicidal ideation, self-injury, and suicide attempt. Expanding the research on the gender gap in suicidal behaviors by drawing on a contemporary gender socialization framework, this study examines the role of various gender dimensions and NFSB. Utilizing data from a survey of college students, we find that the gender dimensions, Nurture/Warmth and Affect, operate as risk and protective factors in the use of NFSB for men and women.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on mental health, including a predicted increase in suicidality, making suicide prevention a high priority. The rate of men's suicide in the United States is significantly higher than that of women's suicide. This case study considers the role of primary care advanced practice nurses in addressing the risks of suicide in their practice with male patients. It is argued that a gender-sensitive approach is necessary to be effective in male suicide prevention efforts.
Suicide is a serious but under-researched public health problem in Bangladesh. In light of this, we sought to explore the association between masculinities and suicide. We interviewed 20 family members/friends of men who died by suicide across 12 rural areas of the Jhenaidah district, Bangladesh. We found that male suicide was attributed to men's inability to fulfil hegemonic masculine demands such as financial provision and meeting the sexual needs of their spouses. Suicide was also linked to men's loss of self-respect and respect from others. Some participants mentioned that men committed suicide as an act of self-sacrifice, while others cited mental and physical illness. As a result of these findings, we propose that addressing socio-cultural and religious issues associated with men's troubles may help to prevent suicide. At the same time, changing the restrictive gender roles and masculinity-related ideals is also needed to counter the problem.
In this chapter, we address the often-invisible topic of losing a child and explore the experiences and implications of child loss on LGBTQ-parent families. As a family scholar who experienced the loss of an adult child by suicide, and an anthropologist who suffered a second-trimester miscarriage, we approach this subject both as researchers and bereaved queer parents. We address the limited sources of knowledge on this issue, piecing together theoretical perspectives, autoethnography and personal narrative, and empirical research in order to chart this relatively unexplored area. We build upon common experiences of loss, death, bereavement, grief, and healing for families experiencing the death of a child. From that foundation, we explore unique features of LGBTQ-parent families that reflect their challenges in heteronormative society that lead to stigma and prejudice, which in turn compound these families’ hidden losses. We propose directions for future research and implications for practice and support for LGBTQ-parent families experiencing child loss.
In his interview, “Friendship as a Way of Life,” Foucault notes that “The development toward which the problem of homosexuality tends is the one of friendship” (Ethics: Subjectivity and truth. The New Press, New York, p. 136, 1997). This statement questions suppositions that link homosexual intimacy with the act of sex, for Foucault advocates for the importance of friendship and emotional intimacy between homosexual men. He says, “To want guys [garcons] was to want relations with guys” (p. 136). Although sexual desire may be implied as an integral feature of “relations,” Foucault stresses intimacy between men that is “much more than the sexual act itself” (p. 136). This chapter puts Foucault’s thoughts about friendship between homosexual men into conversation with recent scholarship in masculinities theory to see what can be learned about homosocial male love and intimacy. Much recent scholarly literature in masculinities highlights a need for emotional intimacy among men yet instances of this intimacy are continually policed by heterosexism and homophobia (Buitenbos in Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy/Revue canadienne de counseling et de psychothérapie 46(4): 335–343, 2012; Connell in Masculinities. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2005; Kimmel in Guyland: The perilous world where boys become men. Harper, New York, 2008). Moreover, Foucault speaks to the close emotional attachment that soldiers require to endure war, but as he says, the army is a space “where love between men is ceaselessly provoked [appele] and shamed” (1997, p. 137). This chapter borrows Foucault’s assertion that institutions provoke and shame homosocial male love to examine the ways that schools regulate intimacy between boys in spite of contemporary theories of masculinities that correlate a healthy gender identity with same-sex emotional intimacy.
This chapter analyses masculinity ‘in crisis’, an idea which has shaped, and been shaped by, men’s movements. Recurring crisis-of-masculinity narratives throughout history are discussed, suggesting that ‘crisis’ is internal to masculinity. Contemporary men-in-crisis debates are also reviewed, especially regarding men and work, and male suicide. A distinction is made between ‘conservative’ and ‘progressive’ crisis narratives. Conservative narratives reassert traditional masculinity, presenting women’s equality/feminism as provoking crisis. Progressive accounts, in contrast, highlight traditional masculinity’s harmful effects for both women and men, and recommend reimagining masculinity. These perspectives are illustrated through analysis of recent (non-academic) constructions of crisis. Both narratives reinforce harmful, essentialist, binary notions of gender. The language of crisis is argued to be problematic, reifying gender and erroneously positioning men as ‘the new gender victims’.
This chapter focuses on postfeminist men’s movements, presenting a detailed examination of the male suicide prevention charity, the Campaign Against Living Miserably. The qualitative analysis of their online materials suggests that CALM constructs masculinity in different ways, sometimes advocating a ‘new’, gentler masculinity, and at other times reproducing traditional masculinity through attempts to appeal to men. CALM explicitly articulate crisis-of-masculinity narratives mostly framed in a ‘progressive’ form, but ‘conservative’ crisis ideas were also present. A postfeminist gender politics was most prominent, alongside aspects of feminism and backlash narratives. Concerns are raised about the conservative and anti-feminist messages underpinning some of the CALM website. However, the postfeminist framing is also argued to be problematic, contributing to the marginalisation of feminism/women’s inequalities.
A non-offending father figure plays an integral role in the healing process of a child who survived sexual abuse. However, becoming aware of the sexual abuse can significantly affect non-offending father figures and therefore impact their ability to properly support and care for the survivor. We sought to better understand the non-offending father figures’ reactions to the aftermath of sexual abuse of their children. Using an existential-phenomenological approach, we offered a platform for non-offending father figures to share their stories. Through the interviews, we found five major themes, which include: “Guilt, anguish, and stigma”, “Hypervigilance and competing demands of fathering”, “Who can we trust?”, “Refocusing on the family”, and “Picking up the pieces”. Based on this and previous studies, non-offending father figures experience psychological pain in the aftermath of the disclosure of sexual abuse, they deal with competing demands of various fatherly roles, and they prioritize supporting the family through the healing process. The findings suggest that the psychological well-being of the non-offending father figures can benefit the family. Therefore, mental health treatment protocols addressing father figures’ needs can contribute to a sexual abuse treatment model that encourages paternal involvement in the care of children with a sexual abuse history.
Middle-aged men and suicide
Rates of suicide are far higher for older men than for any other age or gender group. However, we know relatively little about how depressed older men think about suicide. This study addresses this gap by exploring how Latino and white non-Hispanic elderly men discuss why they would or would not contemplate suicide. Men, aged 60 and older, were screened and assessed using standard instruments for clinical depression. Those meeting criteria were invited to participate in a 1.5 to 2.5-hour in-depth interview, in either English or Spanish. Interview data come from 77 men and included men with treated and untreated depression. Men linked depression to losing their economic role, sense of productivity, and familial respect. Their narratives of suicide highlighted central tenets of hegemonic masculinity. Men from both ethnic groups asserted that “being a man” involved strength and independent choice. For some men, suicide exemplifies these ideals; for most men suicide violates them. The majority of men who felt that suicide further violated their already fragile manhood either reclaimed a decisive masculine self or embraced a caring self, especially in relation to children and family. The latter pattern raises a theoretical question regarding the symbolic boundaries of hegemonic masculinity.
Scripts in the cinema provide a cultural definition of suicide, including where suicide takes place. Using opportunity theory, this study examines the concept of “lethal locations” to address questions regarding movies as a risk factor for suicide: (1) Do cinematic scripts overrepresent lethal locations? (2) Given sociological changes, have cinematic scripts for lethal locations intensified over a century of film? and (3) Are scripts for lethal locations for suicide gendered, possibly accounting for large gender differences in suicide rates? Data are taken from the National Violent Death Reporting System and from cinematic suicides. Results show that cinematic scripts overrepresent suicides away from home. Cinematic scripts supported a gendered relationship, whereas females are more apt than males to suicide at home, a pattern consistent with lower female suicide rates. This is the first national study of American suicide location in the media and society.
The chapter aims to present readers with a review of the most important concepts and developments around the area of gender and health. This will make it possible to correct skewing and stereotypes concerning gender that are common to the general public as well as students of and professional workers in psychology.
Heterosexual men have been a forgotten group for HIV/AIDS interventions and research. Our goal was to identify the different elements that interfere in the prevention of HIV/AIDS among heterosexual men, covering both traditional methods of prevention (especially safe sex practices and testing) and new strategies for prevention (pre- and post-sexual exposure prophylaxis, prevention treatment, and circumcision) in this population. This exploratory article consists of a nonsystematic review of the literature. We discuss the invisibility of heterosexual men in policies, in programs, and in health services. The several interventions analyzed are still poorly monitored and evaluated, so there is a lack of consistent evidence regarding the impact of prevention strategies in this population. Different masculinities, including hegemonic conceptions of masculinity, must be the foundation for interventions targeting men. Men must not be seen merely as a “bridge” in the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but also as victims of gender patterns that make them vulnerable. © 2015, Assocaicao Brasileira de Pos, Gradacao em Saude Coletiva. All rights reserved.
The Oxford Texbook of Suicidology is the most comprehensive work on suicidology and suicide prevention that has ever been published.
Gender and Health is the first book to examine how men’s and women’s lives and their physiology contribute to differences in their health. In a thoughtful synthesis of diverse literatures, the authors demonstrate that modern societies’ health problems ultimately involve a combination of policies, personal behavior, and choice. The book is designed for researchers, policymakers, and others who seek to understand how the choices of individuals, families, communities, and governments contribute to health. It can inform men and women at each of these levels how to better integrate health implications into their everyday decisions and actions.
Objectives:
In the United States, suicide rates are highest among European American older adults. This phenomenon calls attention to cultural factors, specifically, the suicide beliefs and attitudes of European Americans. Beliefs and attitudes matter in the vulnerability to suicide. As predicted by cultural scripts of suicide theory, suicide is most likely among individuals and in communities where it is expected and is most acceptable. This study examined beliefs about the precipitants of, and protectors against older adult suicide, as well as suicide attitudes, in a predominantly European American community.
Design and methods:
Two hundred and fifty-five older adults (86% European American) and 281 younger adults (81% European American) indicated what they thought were the most likely older adult suicide precipitants and protectors, and their opinion about older adult suicide, depending on precipitant.
Results:
Health problems were the most endorsed older adult suicide precipitants. Suicide precipitated by health problems was also rated most positively (e.g., rational, courageous). Older adults, persons with more education, and persons who did not identify with a religion expressed the most favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, across suicide precipitants. Men viewed older adult suicide as more admissible, and women, with more sympathy. Perceived suicide protectors included religiosity among older adults, and supportive relationships among younger adults.
Conclusions:
The belief, in this study's predominantly European American community, that older adult suicide is triggered by health problems, together with favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, suggest an enabling older adult suicide script, with implications for suicide risk and prevention.
O conceito de masculinidade hegemônica tem influenciado os estudos de gênero em vários campos acadêmicos, mas ao mesmo tempo tem atraído um sério criticismo. Os autores traçam a origem do conceito a uma convergência de ideias no início dos anos 1980 e mapeiam as formas através das quais o conceito foi aplicado quando os estudos sobre homens e masculinidades se expandiram. Avaliando as principais críticas, os autores defendem o conceito de masculinidade como fundamental, uma vez que, na maioria das pesquisas que o opera, seu uso não é reificador nem essencialista. Entretanto, as críticas aos modelos assentados em características de gênero e às tipologias rígidas são sólidas. O tratamento do sujeito em pesquisas sobre masculinidades hegemônicas pode ser melhorado com a ajuda dos recentes modelos psicológicos, mesmo que os limites à flexibilidade discursiva devam ser reconhecidos. O conceito de masculinidade hegemônica não equivale a um modelo de reprodução social; precisam ser reconhecidas as lutas sociais nas quais masculinidades subordinadas influenciam formas dominantes. Por fim, os autores revisam o que foi confirmado por formulações iniciais (a ideia de masculinidades múltiplas, o conceito de hegemonia e a ênfase na transformação) e o que precisa ser descartado (tratamento unidimensional da hierarquia e concepções de características de gênero). Os autores sugerem a reformulação do conceito em quatro áreas: um modelo mais complexo da hierarquia de gênero, enfatizando a agência das mulheres; o reconhecimento explícito da geografia das masculinidades, enfatizando a interseccionalidade entre os níveis local, regional e global; um tratamento mais específico da encorporação1 em contextos de privilégio e poder; e uma maior ênfase na dinâmica da masculinidade hegemônica, reconhecendo as contradições internas e as possibilidades de movimento em direção à democracia de gênero.
Perspectives on gender and identity that emphasize variability of performance, local context and individual agency have displaced earlier paradigms.These are now perceived to have supported gender stereotypes and language ideologies by emphasizing gender difference and homogeneity within genders. In a secondary analysis of health and illness narratives we explore the interaction of class and gender in individuals' constructions of gendered identity. High social class men perform gender in particularly varied ways and we speculate that this variable repertoire, including the use of what was once termed `women's language', is linked to a capacity to maintain social distinction and authority. Men's performance of conventional masculinity is often threatened by both the experience of illness and being interviewed about personal experience. Lower social class women in particular demonstrate an intensification of a pre-existing informal family and support group culture, marking successful members by awarding them the accolade of being `lovely'.
Cultural concepts of gender and suicidal behavior are revealed in language and theory. They organize the way stories of suicidal behaviors are narrated, determine which events are highlighted, and the conclusions to be drawn about precipitants and motives. In contemporary western, English-language suicidology, suicidal women and suicidal men are assumed to be opposites in terms of rates, types, methods, precipitants, and motives of suicidal behavior. Women are said to 'attempt,' and men to be 'successful' at suicide. On the one hand, suicidal behavior in women is viewed as an ambivalent, emotional, weak act precipitated by private relationship problems. For example, this kind of conceptualization is dominant in biographies of the suicidal poet Sylvia Plath. Suicidal behavior in men, on the other hand, is construed as a decisive, calculated, strong response to impersonal adversities. We found an example of this kind of narrative in a psychological analysis of the suicide of executive Jake Horton. These gendered images and narratives of suicidal behavior have become so entrenched as to be taken for universal truths. Our review of the evidence, however, shows that while these conceptualizations may apply to some women and men in western, English-language countries, they are neither universally valid nor historically constant. We found examples of communities where patterns and meanings of gender and suicidal behavior do not conform with trends in western, English-language countries. What is constant across cultures and historical times is a correlation between cultural narratives and epidemiology. Women and men tend to draw upon the suicide scenarios popular for them in their culture, scenarios which become self-fulfilling prophecies. At the same time, even within cultures, suicide cases often involve a more complex plot than suggested by cultural scripts. The implications of these observations for suicide prevention are discussed.
In this article, I argue that gender is a primary cultural frame for coordinating behavior and organizing social relations. I describe the implications for understanding how gender shapes social behavior and organizational structures. By my analysis, gender typically acts as a background identity that biases, in gendered directions, the performance of behaviors undertaken in the name of organizational roles and identities. I develop an account of how the background effects of the gender frame on behavior vary by the context that different organizational and institutional structures set but can also infuse gendered meanings into organizational practices. Next, I apply this account to two empirical illustrations to demonstrate that we cannot understand the shape that the structure of gender inequality and gender difference takes in particular institutional or societal contexts without taking into account the background effects of the gender frame on behavior in these contexts.
The long-running Australian drought has had significant economic and environmental consequences, not least its impact on water supplies for major cities. What is less well understood are the social consequences affecting the farm families and communities reliant on agricultural production. In this article we focus on the mental health outcomes for farm men, noting that they are more vulnerable to extreme measures such as suicide. We argue that a dominant form of hegemonic masculinity in rural areas, which has served men well in good times, allowing them power and privilege, is inherently unhealthy in times of significant stress such as the current drought. The stoicism so typical of normative rural masculinity prevents men from seeking help when their health is severely compromised. We argue that attending to the health of rural men during drought requires attention not just to health outcomes but also to hegemonic masculinity.
Suicide is culturally patterned. A cultural perspective, however, is rarely used to examine suicidal behavior among dominant groups in industrialized countries. This study explored the culture of suicide in the U.S. Mountain West region. Specifically, it examined the perceived precipitants and protectors of older adult suicide in a Mountain West community with higher than national average rates of older adult suicide, particularly among males of European-American descent. Respondents read a fictional local obituary of an older male or older female who died by suicide. They indicated what they believed were the two most likely precipitants, the number of suicides due to those precipitants, and the three most effective protective factors. Physical illness and death of a first-degree relative were ranked as the most likely suicide precipitants. Illness was thought to be a more likely precipitant than interpersonal or impersonal problems. Family, friends, religious beliefs, and counseling were believed to be the most effective suicide protectors. These findings add to past evidence of a belief, among European Americans, that physical illness is a key influence in older adult suicide. This belief may act as a cultural script for older adults of European-American descent, particularly males, given the association between physical integrity and dominant masculinity.
Men are a unique population to work with in psychotherapy, but what does research indicate about how masculinity relates to therapeutic issues? Summarizing research on masculinity's relationship to a range of presenting issues, this article organizes and discusses the findings according to masculinity "scripts" that clinicians are likely to recognize when working with male clients. The article then addresses how masculinity is also associated with less help seeking and with negative attitudes toward psychological help seeking. This irony, that traditional masculinity scripts contribute to men's presenting concerns and act as barriers to help seeking, is then addressed through recommendations for training and practice that incorporate a sociocultural context into working with men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This chapter analyzes predominant theories of gender and suicidal behavior. The author examines the assumptions implicit in these theories, applies them to new contexts, and discusses the theories' utility and limitations. Examples of new research directions opened by expanding traditional conceptual frameworks are presented.
The author concludes that 2 contradictory paradigms of gender coexist in suicidology. Suicidal women are described as emotional; suicidal men, as rational. Internalist explanations are emphasised for suicidal behavior in women and contextual explanations for suicidal behavior in men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This resource contains a comprehensive review of the current research advances in late life mood disorders. This detailed review reflects the new understanding of neurobiology and psychosocial origins of geriatric mood disorders in the first decade of the 21st Century and is provided by the international group of leading experts in the field.
Book synopsis: This book examines aspects of 'young masculinities' that have become central to contemporary social thought, paying attention to psychological issues as well as to social policy concerns. Centring on a study involving in-depth exploration, through individual and group intererviews, the authors bring to light the way boys in the early years of secondary schooling conceptualise and articulate their experiences of themselves, their peers and the adult world. The book includes discussion of boys' aspirations and anxieties, their feelings of pride and loss. As such, it offers an unusually detailed set of insights into the experiential world inhabited by these boys - how they see themselves, how girls see them, what they wish for and fear, where they feel their 'masculinity' to be advantageous and where it inhibits other potential experiences. In describing this material, the authors explore questions such as the place of violence in young people's lives, the functions of 'hardness', of homophobia and football, boys' underachievement in school, and the pervasive racialisation of masculine identity construction. Young Masculinities will be invaluable to researchers in psychology, sociology, gender and youth studies, as well as to those devising social policy on boys and young men.
The current paper seeks to systematize the discussion on the causes of the changes in Eastern European countries' suicide mortality during the last 15 years by analyzing the changes in relation to some common causes: alcohol consumption, economic changes, "general pathogenic social stress", political changes and social disorganization. It is found that the development in suicide has varied between in different countries, and that the same causes cannot apply to all of them. However, the relation between suicide mortality and social processes is obvious. A model consisting of general stress, democratization, alcohol consumption and social disorganization (with a period-dependent effect) predicted fairly accurately the percentual changes in the suicide rates in 16 out of the 28 Eastern Bloc countries in 1984-89 and 1989-94, while it failed to do so for Albania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Caucasian and Central Asian newly independent states. The data are subject to many potential sources of error: the small number of units and the large multicollinearity between the independent variables may bias results. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the changes in Eastern European suicide mortality, both its decreases and increases, may be explained with the same set of variables. However, more than one factor is needed, and the multicollinearity will continue to pose a problem.
The US has undergone substantial social and demographic changes over the last several decades, and many of the gender gaps have narrowed. This chapter reviews the theoretical, empirical, and policy-related research on gender differences in old age in the US. It summarizes two key socio-demographic trends—changes in marriage and care work—that shape gender differences in old age. It then examines gender differences in income and health, and explores the degree to which these are addressed by current old age policies in the US. Two key factors, increases in single parenting and the increasing intensity of unpaid care work, continue to shape gender inequality across the life course and well into old age. Gender differences in health, and in access to various types of health benefits, vary significantly across the life course. Finally, this chapter evaluates some policy solutions that could reduce gender inequality in old age. When analyzing gender inequality, old age scholars tend to highlight how social and economic factors constrain individual actions across the life course. Old age scholars will continue to analyze how the recent emphasis on cutting costs and on privatizing public benefits has overshadowed policy proposals that have the potential to make existing programs more responsive to changing social and demographic trends.
Non-disclosure of distress emerged as a key issue in examining pathways to suicidal action for a group of men. Disclosure of difficulties was viewed as un-masculine, as implying weakness and this was associated with feminine or homosexual type behaviour. Constant performative work, including hyper-performances, was required to project an image of strength and to conceal growing levels of distress. When extreme, this challenged their sense of a coherent self-identity. Performances were directed at family, friends and work colleagues and this inhibited others from identifying and responding to the distress.
This paper explores some of the competing pressures at work in the lives of a particular group of Irish men, that is, young male farmers working in different types of farming regions in Ireland. As the economic and social landscape of farming is undergoing transformation, reducing the attractiveness and viability of farming as an occupation, there is, simultaneously, a strong association between constructions of farming masculinity and staying on the land. The paper explores some of these tensions. Farming masculinities are bound up with a sense of cultural and familial responsibility, which is attached to maintaining the family farm, but it is increasingly difficult to fulfil these responsibilities in the current environment. This can lead to stress and anxiety on the part of young farmers. It is argued that the construction and negotiation of farming masculinity is spatially contingent, reflecting local and regional geographies of gender.
The present study examined whether attitudes toward suicide vary as a function of the age and gender of the suicide victim, the gender of the evaluator, and the type of illness that precipitates the suicide. The participants in the study were 780 college students who were administered a questionnaire consisting of one of twelve scenarios describing a fictitious individual who has decided to commit suicide, as well as a series of evaluative scales and questions about the individual and his/her decision. The scenarios varied in terms of the age of the victim (i.e., forty-five vs. seventy), the gender of the victim, and the precipitating illness (i.e., chronic depression, chronic physical pain, or terminal bone cancer). Evaluations of suicide tended to be significantly more favorable when the evaluators were male, when male victims were being judged, when elderly victims were being evaluated, or when terminal cancer was the precipitating illness.
This article considers the potential relationship between providing care for grandchildren and retirement, among women nearing retirement age. Using 47,444 person-wave observations from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we find that the arrival of a new grandchild is associated with more than an 8 % increase in the retirement hazard despite little overall evidence of a care/retirement interaction. We document that although family characteristics seem to be the most important factors driving the care decision, they are also important determinants of retirement. In contrast, although financial incentives such as pensions and retiree health insurance have the largest influence on retirement, the opportunity cost associated with outside income seems to have little effect on whether a grandmother provides care. There is little evidence of substitution between caring for grandchildren versus providing care for elderly parents or engaging in volunteer activities; grandchild care is instead taken on as an additional responsibility. Our findings suggest that policies aimed at prolonging work life may need to consider grandchild care responsibilities as a countervailing factor, while those policies focused on grandchild care may also affect elderly labor force participation.
The goal of the present study was to examine suicide acceptability as a mechanism of suicide clustering in adolescents.
Data were drawn from The National Annenberg Survey of Youth, a sample of 3302 adolescents aged 14-22 collected between 2002 and 2004.
Results indicated that beliefs of the acceptability of suicide partially mediated the effect of exposure to suicide (defined as knowing someone who attempted or completed suicide) on 1) serious suicidal ideation and 2) suicide planning behaviors.
The present study demonstrated that suicide acceptability is in small part a possible reason why suicides tend to cluster in adolescents. It contributes not only to the knowledge of how the phenomenon of suicide clustering might occur, but more broadly highlights the importance of examining mediators of suicide clustering.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Sociologist Stacy Torres examines why higher poverty rates persist among older women compared with older men and finds that women continue to face significant economic disadvantages in old age, partly due to a lifetime of unpaid, work-interrupting care giving responsibilities.
The concept of hegemonic masculinity has influenced gender studies across many academic fields but has also attracted serious criticism. The authors trace the origin of the concept in a convergence of ideas in the early 1980s and map the ways it was applied when research on men and masculinities expanded. Evaluating the principal criticisms, the authors defend the underlying concept of masculinity, which in most research use is neither reified nor essentialist. However, the criticism of trait models of gender and rigid typologies is sound. The treatment of the subject in research on hegemonic masculinity can be improved with the aid of recent psychological models, although limits to discursive flexibility must be recognized. The concept of hegemonic masculinity does not equate to a model of social reproduction; we need to recognize social struggles in which subordinated masculinities influence dominant forms. Finally, the authors review what has been confirmed from early formulations (the idea of multiple masculinities, the concept of hegemony, and the emphasis on change) and what needs to be discarded (onedimensional treatment of hierarchy and trait conceptions of gender). The authors suggest reformulation of the concept in four areas: a more complex model of gender hierarchy, emphasizing the agency of women; explicit recognition of the geography of masculinities, emphasizing the interplay among local, regional, and global levels; a more specific treatment of embodiment in contexts of privilege and power; and a stronger emphasis on the dynamics of hegemonic masculinity, recognizing internal contradictions and the possibilities of movement toward gender democracy.
Adolescence is not a fixed stage in a life-cycle, so much as a terrain of encounters between growing persons and the adult world. International research on youth shows the importance of a relational approach. Masculinities are constructions within a gender order; but gender orders are neither simple nor static. Projects of masculinity formation reflect social diversity and inequality. Developing bodies are re-interpreted and challenged in new practices, institutions such as the high school are encountered and negotiated, the state and the corporate economy are approached. Hegemonic definitions of masculinity exert strong pressure, yet multiple paths through adolescence are found by different groups of youth. The importance of adolescence in the making of masculinities lies both in the ways existing masculinities are appropriated and inhabited, and in the negotiation, and sometimes rejection of old patterns.
The purpose of this article is to advance a new understanding of gender as a routine accomplishment embedded in everyday interaction. To do so entails a critical assessment of existing perspectives on sex and gender and the introduction of important distinctions among sex, sex category, and gender. We argue that recognition of the analytical independence of these concepts is essential for understanding the interactional work involved in being a gendered person in society. The thrust of our remarks is toward theoretical reconceptualization, but we consider fruitful directions for empirical research that are indicated by our formulation.
Michael Kimmel argues that American men are socialized into a very rigid and limiting definition of masculinity. He states that men fear being ridiculed as too feminine by other men and this fear perpetuates homophobic and exclusionary masculinity. He callsfor poli-tics of inclusion or the broadening definition of manho~d to end gender struggle. T he great secret af American manhaad is: VIleare afraid of other men. Hama-phabia is a central arganizing principle af aur cultural definitia'tl af man-haad. Hamaphabia is mare than the irratianal fear af gay men, mare than the fear that we might be perceived as gay. "The ward 'faggat' has nathing to. do. with hamasexual experience ar even with fears af hamasexuals," writes David Leverenz (1986). "It carnes aut af the depths af manhaad: a label af ultimate cantempt far anyane who. seems sissy,untaugh, uncaal" (p. 455). Hamaphabia is the fear that ather men will unmask us, emasculate us, reveal to. us and the warld that we do. nat measure up, that we are nat real men. We are afraid to. let ather men see that fear. Fear makes us ashamed, because the recagnitian af fear in aur-selves is praaf to. aurselves that we are nat as manly as we pretend, that we are, like the yaung man in a paem by Yeats, "ane that ruffles in a manly pase far all his timid heart." Our fear is the fear af humiliatian. We are ashamed to. be afraid. . . The fear af being seen as a sissy daminates the cultural definitians af man-haad. It starts so. early. "Bays amang bays are ashamed to. be unmanly," wrote ane educatar in 1871 (cited in Ratunda, 1993, p. 264). I have a standing bet with a friend that I can walk anta any playground in America where 6-year-ald bays are happily playing and by asking ane questian, I can provake a fight. That ques-tian is simple: "Who's a sissy around here?" Once pased, the challenge is made.
Men in the United States suffer more severe chronic conditions and die 6 years younger than women. For all leading causes of death, and in every age group, men and boys have higher death rates than women and girls. Despite these risks, little is known about the gender-specific health and health care needs of men and boys. This multidisciplinary review provides an overview and summary of key determinants of the health and well- being of men and boys in the United States. Thirty key determinants of physical and mental health were identified from a review of literature and are summarized under the following four categories: behaviors of men and boys, health-related beliefs and the expression of emotions and physical distress, underlying factors that influence the health behaviors and beliefs of men and boys, and health care. The findings reported in this review suggest that men's greatest health risks are the result of modifiable factors, and that efforts to address these factors through practice, policy, and research could contribute to enhanced health conditions for men and boys, as well as to healthier families and communities.
The present study assessed whether attitudes toward suicide vary as a function of the type of illness that precipitates the suicide. The participants in the study were 455 college students who were administered a questionnaire consisting of one of seven scenarios describing a fictitious man who has decided to kill himself, as well as a series of evaluative questions about the man and his decision. The man was portrayed as suffering from chronic, severe depression in five of the scenarios (the scenarios differed in their descriptions of the depression); from chronic, severe physical pain in the sixth scenario; and from terminal bone cancer in the seventh. Evaluations of the suicide were most favorable when it occurred in response to terminal physical illness, less favorable in response to chronic, non-terminal physical illness, and least favorable in response to chronic psychiatric illness.
This study investigated whether attitudes on suicide would be affected by the individual's personal characteristics and the nature of the situation. It was hypothesized that suicide would be judged more or less “justifiable” depending on characteristics of the crisis confronting the suicidal individual as well as perception of the individual's general utility to society as a whole. Eighty undergraduates responded to sixteen fictional suicide case histories with judgments on a series of twelve items indicating their perception of the “justifiability” of the suicidal act in each case. Results showed that the personal characteristics of the suicidal individual made little difference, but that the nature of the crisis confronting the suicidal individual affected judgments of justifiability. Specifically, respondents tended to regard physical deterioration and pain as more justifiable motives for suicide than the less acceptable motives of mental deterioration or pain. Implications of the data for theories on ...
Since suicide is self-determined, the circumstances of the victim's life may influence people's responses. To assess this possibility, 180 undergraduate volunteers read a fictitious newspaper article about a thirty-five-year-old man who committed suicide following one of eight extenuating circumstances: psychological pain (bankruptcy, incarceration, bereavement, graduate school), physical pain (burns, arthritis), or terminal illness (AIDS, terminal bone cancer). A control group received no information about any extenuating circumstances. As expected, victims of terminal illness and their families were seen in a more favorable light. Notably, reactions were about the same when psychological pain was reported as they were when no information about extenuating circumstances was given. Apparently medical problems were viewed as more acceptable reasons for suicide than were psychological problems.
This study compares female and male reactions to troubled female and male target figures. The results replicate the findings of four earlier studies that showed that females are move sympathetic than males toward suicidal target figures. Unlike previous studies, however, by using a non-suicidal comparison condition, this study also shows that female sympathy ratings were not influenced by whether or not target figures were suicidal. Male ratings did show such an influence: males were most sympathetic to non-suicidal male targets and least sympathetic to suicidal male targets. Results are discussed in the light of sex-role stereotyping of males.
The purpose of the present study was to discern whether there were differences in the attitudes of suicidal ideators and nonideators toward suicide victims in different situations (cancer, AIDS, schizophrenia, and depression). Two hundred twenty-eight college students completed a suicide ideation questionnaire and read one of four scenarios. People in the cancer and AIDS scenarios were viewed as the most physically unhealthy and the most justified in committing suicide. Suicide ideatars saw the people in the scenarios as justified in committing suicide more often than did nonideators.
Recent studies have reported gender differences in older workers' orientations toward retirement, with women expressing less favorable views. This study of 557 women and 245 men in their 60s, not currently married, showed that previously married women, who often face a poor financial situation in retirement, were less likely than previously married men to agree that older workers should retire and also were less likely to define themselves as retirees. Never-married women and men did not differ on these measures of retirement orientation, but they did differ on a more general measure of well-being, with the women holding a more positive attitude toward life in retirement. This article concludes that differences in women's and men's occupational and economic circumstances are responsible in part for gender differences reported in the retirement literature, but in addition, marital circumstances also exert an important influence. Thus retirement policies based solely on gender seem unwarranted.
If we look at today's high male suicide rates as the outermost evident proof for men being mentally ill and consider the links between an individual male's depression and their suicidality, a major challenge appears: to improve the determinants and preconditions for men's wellbeing and health even on an aggregate societal level.This means identifying and further increasing men's levels of autonomy, to counteract their helplessness, to facilitate a mutual and pluralistic gender tolerance, to support and restore males’ sense of social cohesion and existential meaning and to give, in a new way, a place for the often traditional masculine values of integrity, pride, status and dignity – even in our modern societies of gender transition.Females and males are ‘sitting in the same boat’. Both genders define and influence each other's identity and societal position. This means that men and women in a societal and/or individual crisis often become each other's problem, which can cause violence as well as suicide, with concomittant abuse, risk-taking behaviour and stress-related somatic disorders – all afflicting both genders.Thus, increasing understanding and communicative ability, as well as social interaction between genders, seems to be one of the strongest health promotional actions that can be carried out, on a political level, at a societal level, in families and directed to the individual person. This should be done in parallel with improving early detection and possibilities for therapeutic intervention, especially concerning common but atypical conditions of ‘male depression’ as well as depression-related aggression and suicidality.
This study represents a partial replication and extension of Deluty's investigations of the factors affecting suicide unacceptability [1]. Two hundred eighty-two Catholic college students evaluated scenarios which manipulated precipitating illness (i.e., severe depression, chronic physical pain, and terminal bone cancer) and gender of victim. In addition, evaluator variables (i.e., gender, mood state, and religiosity) were also considered. Results indicated that the unacceptability of suicide is a function of precipitating illness and gender of victim as well as a function of an evaluator's mood state, and religiosity. In addition, complex interactions among several of these variables were found, suggesting the complexity of decisions regarding the unacceptability of suicide.
Retirement has been viewed either as a transition that is accompanied by psychological distress or as a time of continued, or even enhanced, subjective well-being. Existing evidence is mixed, with some studies reporting retirement as positively related to well-being and others reporting a negative relationship or none at all. Our research indicates that developmental and social contexts shape an individual's retirement decisions and experiences, so that retirement should be studied in its ecological and life-course context. Research on marital quality and subjective well-being in retirement has demonstrated both similarities and differences between men and women, as well as the need to consider couples conjointly (rather than viewing individuals in isolation). Future research focusing on the retirement process as it unfolds over time and in ecological context can serve to illuminate the circumstances under which retirement promotes or detracts from the quality of life.
Randomly selected clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and oncologists were mailed a questionnaire assessing attitudes toward suicide and the personal, professional, and societal values which underlie these attitudes. Suicides in the face of physical illness were judged to be significantly more acceptable than suicides committed in response to chronic psychiatric illness. Psychologists were most accepting, and oncologists least accepting, of suicide in response to chronic pain. There were no significant differences in the acceptability of suicide between those professionals who had experienced suicidal ideation themselves and those who had not.
Disorders of mood are the clinical phenomena most frequently found in elderly subjects. The numerous loss events inevitably accumulating in the later part of life provide a partial explanation—in psychosocial terms—of the greater prevalence of depression in this age group. Moreover, age-related biological changes may in some way predispose the subject to the onset of a depressive episode, and may perhaps also partially explain the tendency toward chronicity found in affective as well as organic disease in the elderly.
Regardless of etiological considerations, it is vital to modify the attitude of resignation so often characterizing the clinical approach to psychiatric disturbances in the elderly. One of the aims of the psychogeriatrician—and of this volume in particular—could be to instill a more optimistic attitude with regard to the treatment of depression in the elderly subject. There are in fact no constitutional reasons why biological, psychological, or social therapeutic approaches in the elderly should necessarily be futile or ineffective. Once correctly identified, the clinical problems of depression are equally accessible to treatment in both young and old subjects.
Thus, this book is addressed mainly to those involved in the care of the elderly—geriatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists—but also to social workers and to all who want to learn about course and cure of depression and related problems in the elderly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Presents the cases of 14 men (aged 65–93 yrs) who experienced chronic dyspnea in the months or weeks before they committed suicide. Most of the Ss had a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, although none had previous contact with a mental health professional. Other common characteristics were chronic or terminal heart or lung disease, recent contact with a primary physician, prior experience of self or a significant other suffering a debilitating disease, and a fiercely independent and inflexible personality type. The cases illustrate the intricacy of risk factors associated with suicide and point to a possible link between chronic dyspnea and suicide risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
argue that the assertions that women are less suicidal than men rest on contested data, whose privileging reveals a set of gendered assumptions that conflate women's biology with their behavior / challenge the assumption that women are less suicidal than men but also . . . suggest that we ought to rethink the presumption that the motives for suicidal behaviors may be gleaned only from the histories of those who die as a result of a suicidal act
offical mortality statistics and women's suicidal behavior / gendered explanations / nonfatal versus fatal suicidal behaviors / lethality of method / differences (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)