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Mediation and Moderation of the Relationship Between Men's Endorsement of Traditional Masculinity Ideology and Intentions to Seek Psychotherapy

The present study used data from 1,602 men collected online to assess the relationship between men's endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology (TMI) and their intentions to seek psychotherapy, as mediated by attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and self-stigma of seeki...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Professional psychology, research and practice research and practice, 2022-06, Vol.53 (3), p.234-243
Main Authors: Levant, Ronald F., McCurdy, Eric R., Keum, Brian T. H., Cox, Daniel W., Halter, Margaret J., Stefanov, Dimitre G.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The present study used data from 1,602 men collected online to assess the relationship between men's endorsement of traditional masculinity ideology (TMI) and their intentions to seek psychotherapy, as mediated by attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and self-stigma of seeking help and moderated by the men's levels of depression and precontemplation. Also assessed was whether the model was conditional on race and ethnicity (comparing White men to men of color) and sexual partner preferences (comparing men who always partnered with women to those who did not). The relationship between TMI and help-seeking intentions was fully mediated through help-seeking attitudes and partially mediated through self-stigma and was moderated by depression. At higher levels of depression, a given level of endorsement of TMI was associated with more favorable attitudes toward seeking help than they were at lower levels of depression. Furthermore, the negative relationship between TMI and help-seeking intentions seen at lower levels of depression (where increases in TMI were associated with reductions in intentions) changed to a positive relationship at higher levels of depression (where increases in TMI were associated with increases in intentions). The mediation moderation model was not conditional on race and ethnicity or sexual partner preferences. An implication for practice is that depression appears to play a key role in limiting or even reversing the negative relationships between TMI and intentions to seek therapy, and that this role applies broadly across the male population, irrespective of race, ethnicity, and sexual partner preferences. Public Significance Statement Men who need psychological services for a specific problem are less likely to seek them to the extent that they adhere to traditional masculine norms, hold negative attitudes about seeking psychological help, and experience self-stigma regarding their need for such services. However, if depressed they are more likely to overcome these effects and express intentions to seek counseling. These relationships held for both dominant and minoritized groups of men, based on race, ethnicity, and sexual partner preferences.
ISSN:0735-7028
1939-1323
DOI:10.1037/pro0000461