A study of African American men's beliefs about masculinity and the impact of these beliefs on health.

摘要

Previous quantitative studies that explored African American men's beliefs about masculinity using standardized masculinity measures presented misleading results, such as African American men being labeled androgynous, hyper-masculine, and effeminate when compared to European American men. Furthermore, the way masculinity is conceptualized by men may have negative consequences on health, especially if their masculinity beliefs are in opposition to health seeking and health promoting behaviors. To investigate the relationship between masculinity and health, a study using open-ended questions about masculinity and manhood was conducted on a 120 African American men. Gender and health are explored from four theoretical perspectives: the social constructionist perspective, identity theory, hegemonic masculinity perspective, and the health beliefs model. Structured interviews were conducted that explored participants' beliefs about masculinity in relationship to health (mental and physical) across the life span. In addition to open-ended questions about masculinity, a standardized masculinity measure was also used to assess masculinity for comparison. Demographic and health information was also collected using surveys (SF-12). Narrative analysis, bivariate correlations, and regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between masculinity concepts developed from in-depth interviews, masculinity scores, and responses to the health survey. The study found that the men who broadly define masculinity tend to report better physical health functioning, while men who define masculinity rigidly tend to report better mental health functioning. This study provides an alternative to standardized measures when studying masculinity in relationship to health.