title: Reviewing the Assumptions About Men's Mental Health: An Exploration of the Gender Binary.
abstract: Many researchers take for granted that men's mental health can be explained in the same terms as women's or can be gauged using the same measures. Women tend to have higher rates of internalizing disorders (i.e., depression, anxiety), while men experience more externalizing symptoms (i.e., violence, substance abuse). These patterns are often attributed to gender differences in socialization (including the acquisition of expectations associated with traditional gender roles), help seeking, coping, and socioeconomic status. However, measurement bias (inadequate survey assessment of men's experiences) and clinician bias (practitioner's subconscious tendency to overlook male distress) may lead to underestimates of the prevalence of depression and anxiety among men. Continuing to focus on gender differences in mental health may obscure significant within-gender group differences in men's symptomatology. In order to better understand men's lived experiences and their psychological well-being, it is crucial for scholars to focus exclusively on men's mental health.
authors: 1 University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD, USA.
authors: Dena T
authors: DT
authors: Smith
authors: 2 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors: Dawne M
authors: DM
authors: Mouzon
authors: 3 University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology; D054526:Men's Health; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: depression; mental health; social determinants of health