Why Won’t Men Go to the Doctor?
Darren R. Jones, PhD, LP
HAP Worksite Wellness Forum
June 19, 2014
Our Agenda
 A little about me
 Facts and figures
 Research: What do we know?
 Interventions: What can I do?
 Questions and comments
Why Do We Need To
Talk About This?
 Men have poorer health outcomes than women across
all age groups in most Western and some non-Western
countries
 Findings are robust
 In U.S. men have higher mortality rates than women
for the 15 leading causes of death (exception:
Alzheimer’s)
 Men more likely to suffer from chronic conditions and
fatal diseases
(Cordier & Wilson, 2013)
Why Do We Need To
Talk About This?
 Male suicide rates 4 to 12 times higher than women
 Men have higher rates of substance abuse
 Men have shorter life expectancy (76 vs. 81)
 Underprivileged men are at even higher risk
 Only recognized as issue in past decade
 Men 25% less likely to have visited provider in past
year
 Men 40% more likely to skip recommended screenings
(American Psychological Association, 2011)
Your Experiences?
 Have you experienced difficulty engaging your male
employees in health and wellness initiatives?
 What have you tried already to increase engagement?
What Do We Know?
What Do We Know?
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Stereotype: Men don’t like to ask for help
Research validates this belief
So why is that?
Theory: gender socialization (thoughts and ideas)
What does it mean to be a man?
Self-reliance, competitiveness, emotional control,
power over others, aggression
 May be a barrier to seeking help
 Must consider context
(Mansfield, Addis, & Mahalik, 2003)
What Do We Know?
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Gender-role conflict: men’s experience of gender
Four patterns have been identified
Preoccupation with success, power, and competition
Restriction of emotions
Restriction in affectionate behavior
Conflict between work and family
Conflicts are associated with lower self-esteem, marital
satisfaction, intimacy, and increased anxiety
 Also associated with negative attitudes toward helpseeking
(Mansfield, Addis, & Mahalik, 2003)
What Do We Know?
 Social construction theory: gender is created in social
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situations
Views gender as something that is done (not a trait)
Men may deny pain in order to minimize problem
Maintains gender stereotypes
Steer conversations from “soft emotions”
Perceived need to “take pain like a man”
Reactions to stress: tend and befriend vs fight or
flight/bottle it up
(Mansfield, Addis, & Mahalik, 2003)
The Role of Motivation
 A major problem for health care
 People do not always act rationally
 But there is no pill for that
 Understanding and individuals motivation is key to
increasing help seeking behaviors
 Motivations may not be obvious
 What might be common motivations for seeking help?
What Can We Do? : Interventions
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Events like this! Male-friendly events: sports, etc.
Focus on a functional, fix-it view of health care
Focus on facts, figures, tests
Target women (motivation)
Partner support important
Advertising/marketing that addresses stigma
(Bob Dole)
 Normalize health care concerns (providers especially)
 Use of technology to increase access and provide privacy
 Societal level: culture shift
In conclusion
 Questions?
 Comments?
 Thank you