Project Details
Projekt
Transformations of masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes among depressed men (TRANSMODE)
Subject Area
Empirical Social Research
Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
Term
since 2016
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 288917560
According to the „gender paradox of depression“ women are twice as often affected by depression, while men have a threefold risk of committing suicide. Several reasons for the lower depression rates among men are discussed including a lack of recognizing men’s depressive symptoms, men’s lower service use and a lack of gender-sensitive services. Traditional masculinity norms play a central role here. However, beyond stereotyping images of men’s risky health behavior, there is a lack of knowledge about the variety of mens‘ mental health behavior and sophisticated studies on the complex interrelations between masculinity orientations and mental health are rare. With our previous study „Masculinity Constructions and Mental Health Behaviour among Men with Depression” we could fill a research gap by identifying three latent classes of a specific combination of masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes among men treated for depression. Furthermore, we found a significant interrelation between class membership and mental health variables. In addition, based on in-dephts interviews with class representatives we identified differences in men’s subjective views on masculinity orientations, illness theories and everyday coping with depression. Also, we could show that mental health staff actively encourages male patients to change their gender role attitudes and mental health behaviors. However, due to the cross-sectional design of the study, we cannot make any assumptions about the processes of change and thus, about the direction of the interrelations between masculinity orientations, work-related attitudes and mental health. Therefore, within a prospective mixed-method observational study we will focus on the changes and transformations of masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes among depressed men within a specific (therapeutic) setting. Statistical analysis of the change processes of masculinity orientations, work-related attitudes and relevant clinical parameters will be completed by reconstructive analysis of the subjective meaning of theses changes (transformations). The findings will be triangulated by the perspectives of the partners of depressed men on the transformations. A better understanding of the transformation processes of masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes in the context of a depression will serve as the basis for the development of gender-sensitive services for depressed men.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
