The DOI matches its Crossref record; 63 of the 63 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Barriers to help-seeking by men: a review of sociocultural and clinical literature with particular reference to depression
Abstract
Consultation rates and help-seeking patterns in men are consistently lower than in women, especially in the case of emotional problems and depressive symptoms. Empirical evidence shows that low treatment rates for men cannot be explained by better health, but must be attributed to a discrepancy between perception of need and help-seeking behavior. It is argued that social norms of traditional masculinity make help-seeking more difficult because of the inhibition of emotional expressiveness influencing symptom perception of depression. Other medical and social factors which produce further barriers to help-seeking are also examined. Lines of future research are proposed to investigate the links between changing masculinity and its impact on expressiveness and on the occurrence and presentation of depressive symptoms in men.
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“Simply put, “boys are taught to be stoical and to ignore symptoms (“boys don't cry”), the threshold for expressing pain and emotional sensitivity (especially related to emotions like weakness, uncertainty, helplessness, and sadness) is heightened and results in emotional restriction” (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
From The Disclosure Experiences of Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors (2016) · cites this paper as Möller-Leimkühler, 2002
In the citing paper
“The literature confirmed that help-seeking was found to be challenging for males, however it was generally due to social constructs of masculinity”
From The Disclosure Experiences of Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors (2016) · cites this paper as Möller-Leimkühler, 2002
In the citing paper
“Men cope with mental health difficulties differently compared to women, demonstrating an increased tendency to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs to alleviate emotional distress”
From Improving Mental Health Service Utilization Among Men: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Behavior Change Techniques Within Interventions Targeting Help-Seeking (2019) · cites this paper as Möller-Leimkühler, 2002
In the citing paper
“Compared to women, men are less likely to seek help for mental health difficulties.”
From Improving Mental Health Service Utilization Among Men: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Behavior Change Techniques Within Interventions Targeting Help-Seeking (2019) · cites this paper as Möller-Leimkühler, 2002
In the citing paper
“studies have also indicated clear gender differences with regards to help-seeking tendencies. This is particularly the case for emotional problems and depression”
From A systematic review of the factors associated with delays in medical and psychological help-seeking among men (2015) · cites this paper as Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002
In the citing paper
“These differences in psychological openness are thought to be due to subjective masculine norms that encourage emotion suppression and lead to the stigmatisation of help-seeking for emotional problems [7].”
From Silence is deadly: a cluster-randomised controlled trial of a mental health help-seeking intervention for young men (2017) · cites this paper as [7]
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The role of masculinity in men's help-seeking for depression: A systematic review
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“Sex Differences in Perceptions of Stigma Studies consistently find that women are more likely to seek help for emotional issues (Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002) and possess more positive attitudes toward counseling than men (Fischer & Farina, 1995).”
BackgroundResultSamulowitz, A., Gremyr, I., Eriksson, E. M., & Hensing, G. K. E. (2018) · Pain Research and Management · doi:10.1155/2018/6358624 · Cited by 862
“Gender-blindness can lead to women’s needs being overlooked, as seen in coronary heart diseases [23], but can also lead to that men’s needs are failed to notice, as seen in under-diagnosed depression in men [32].”
BackgroundO’Brien, R., Hunt, K., & Hart, G. (2005) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.12.008 · Cited by 797
“This mirrors findings from other research, both in men with particular health problems (e.g. Chapple & Ziebland, 2002; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002; Petchey, Farnsworth, & Williams, 2000; White, 1999; White & Johnson, 2000), and those without (e.”
ResultEstimated Prevalence of Compulsive Buying Behavior in the United States
Koran, L. M., Faber, R. J., Aboujaoude, E. N., Large, M. D., & Serpe, R. T. (2006) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.10.1806 · Cited by 554
“Perhaps women with clinically significant compulsive buying are more willing to seek treatment, as is true for depressive and anxiety disorders (32).”
BackgroundThe gender gap in suicide and premature death or: why are men so vulnerable?
M�ller-Leimk�hler, A. M. (2003) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-003-0397-6 · Cited by 527
Self-citationYousaf, O., Grunfeld, E. A., & Hunter, M. S. (2015) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2013.840954 · Cited by 467
“…delay Men’s relatively low rates of seeking medical help is a phenomenon that has been supported by numerous studies (Cusack, Deane, Wilson, & Ciarrochi, 2006; Hale, Grogan, & Willott, 2010; Levant, Wimer, & Williams, 2011; McCusker & Galupo, 2011; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002; Wenger, 2011).”
BackgroundResultThe Prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in the United States Adult Population
Koran, L. M., Abujaoude, E., Large, M. D., & Serpe, R. T. (2008) · CNS Spectrums · doi:10.1017/s1092852900016436 · Cited by 437
“INTRODUCTION Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a distressing or impairing preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in appearance, causes great suffering(14) and is associated with a poor quality of life(5) and suicide attempts.(26)This disorder has received relatively little study, perhaps because it is believed…”
BackgroundSeeking help from a mental health professional: The influence of one's social network
Vogel, D. L., Wade, N. G., Wester, S. R., Larson, L., & Hackler, A. H. (2007) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20345 · Cited by 414
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Gaps in accessing treatment for anxiety and depression: challenges for the delivery of care
Collins, K. A., Westra, H. A., Dozois, D. J. A., & Burns, D. D. (2004) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.06.001 · Cited by 322
“In addition, an individual’s perception of the nature and cause of symptoms (i.e., somatic versus emotional) may be an important determinant of help-seeking (Brown et al., 2001; Moeller-Leimkuehler, 2002).”
BackgroundAvoidance of Counseling: Psychological Factors That Inhibit Seeking Help
Vogel, D. L., Wester, S. R., & Larson, L. M. (2007) · Journal of Counseling & Development · doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2007.tb00609.x · Cited by 325
Magaard, J. L., Seeralan, T., Schulz, H., & Brütt, A. L. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176730 · Cited by 359
Cavanagh, A., Wilson, C. J., Kavanagh, D. J., & Caputi, P. (2017) · Harvard Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/hrp.0000000000000128 · Cited by 295
Sagar-Ouriaghli, I., Godfrey, E., Bridge, L., Meade, L., & Brown, J. S. L. (2019) · American Journal of Men’s Health · doi:10.1177/1557988319857009 · Cited by 274
“Men cope with mental health difficulties differently compared to women, demonstrating an increased tendency to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs to alleviate emotional distress (Kilpatrick et al., 2000; Möller-Leimkühler, 2002; Oliver, Pearson, Coe, & Gunnell, 2005; Rutz & Rihmer, 2009).”
BackgroundShi, P., Yang, A., Zhao, Q., Chen, Z., Ren, X., & Dai, Q. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.589687 · Cited by 292
“The above-described results suggest that men report more severe depression and higher suicide rates than women (56, 65, 66, 74), which may result from lower rates of diagnosis and treatment of male depression (36).”
BackgroundResultGonzalez, J. M., Alegria, M., & Prihoda, T. J. (2005) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/jcop.20071 · Cited by 235
Ellis, L. A., Collin, P., Hurley, P. J., Davenport, T. A., Burns, J. M., & Hickie, I. B. (2013) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-13-119 · Cited by 222
“; licensee BioMed Central Ltd Commons Attribution License (http://creativec reproduction in any medium, provided the or seek help as a result of culturally dominant (or hegemonic) masculine traits which place an emphasis on men to be independent, to suppress emotion, and show a lack of vulnerability [7-9].”
BackgroundResultMen’s Mental Health: Social Determinants and Implications for Services
Affleck, W., Carmichael, V., & Whitley, R. (2018) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0706743718762388 · Cited by 219
“The most common interpretation for men’s low rates of service utilization surround masculine gender socialization.(66) It is hypothesized that men are socialized to be stoic, stubborn, and self-reliant in the face of adversity.”
BackgroundA Suicide Prevention Program in a Region With a Very High Suicide Rate
Szanto, K., Kalmar, S., Hendin, H., Rihmer, Z., & Mann, J. J. (2007) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.64.8.914 · Cited by 212
“Women’s help-seeking behavior is considered to be better than men.(23,24) In Gotland, the decrease in the female suicide rate in the intervention region occurred during a period when the suicide rate in Sweden increased or was stable, whereas in Hungary, the suicide rate decreased during the investigated period.”
BackgroundMasculinity and suicidal thinking
Pirkis, J., Spittal, M. J., Keogh, L., Mousaferiadis, T., & Currier, D. (2017) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1324-2 · Cited by 205
Klose, M., & Jacobi, F. (2004) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-004-0047-7 · Cited by 195
“, 2002), but none of these explanations has been consistently supported with empirical data (Bird and Rieker, 1999; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002; Salokangas et al., 2002).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialMen, depression and masculinities: a review and recommendations
Oliffe, J. L., & Phillips, M. J. (2008) · Journal of Men's Health · doi:10.1016/j.jomh.2008.03.016 · Cited by 253
Cheng, P., Luik, A. I., Fellman-Couture, C., Peterson, E. L., Joseph, C. L. M., Tallent, G., Tran, K. M., Ahmedani, B. K., Roehrs, T., Roth, T. G., et al. (2018) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291718001113 · Cited by 192
“There is evidence that females are more likely to engage in health-seeking behaviors in both a traditional clinical setting (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002) and on the Internet (Ybarra and Suman, 2006).”
BackgroundMasuda, A., Anderson, P. L., Twohig, M. P., Feinstein, A. B., Chou, Y.-Y., Wendell, J. W., & Stormo, A. R. (2009) · International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling · doi:10.1007/s10447-009-9076-2 · Cited by 211
“In general, females tend to have more favorable attitudes toward seeking professional psychological services than males (e.g., Fischer and Farina 1995 ;M asudaet al. 2005) and to seek psychological services for their emotional issues more frequently than males (e.g., Moller-Leimkuhler 2002; Rabinowitz et al. 1999).”
BackgroundDo women consult more than men? A review of gender and consultation for back pain and headache
Hunt, K., Adamson, J., Hewitt, C. E., & Nazareth, I. (2010) · Journal of Health Services Research & Policy · doi:10.1258/jhsrp.2010.009131 · Cited by 178
Cassiello-Robbins, C., Southward, M. W., Tirpak, J. W., & Sauer-Zavala, S. (2020) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101852 · Cited by 179
“, depression, anxiety-related, borderline personality, eating disorders) are more common in female populations (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005), and data suggest women seek treatment at higher rates than men (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundHelp seeking for mental health problems in an adolescent population: the effect of gender
Haavik, L., Joa, I., Hatloy, K., Stain, H. J., & Langeveld, J. (2019) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/09638237.2017.1340630 · Cited by 163
“Another Australian study indicated that male adolescents rarely asked for help from their social networks or professionals even when experiencing high levels of distress (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundTreatment engagement: a neglected aspect in the psychiatric care of suicidal patients.
Lizardi, D., & Stanley, B. (2010) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/ps.2010.61.12.1183 · Cited by 161
Holzinger, A., Floris, F., Schomerus, G., Carta, M. G., & Angermeyer, M. C. (2011) · Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences · doi:10.1017/s2045796011000552 · Cited by 173
“Some theories also contend that men are not permitted to be expressive in their illness behaviour or postpone seeking help in an effort to conform to a socially prescribed male role where weakness and need for help are not believed to be masculine (Robertson, 1995; Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundDeCasien, A. R., Guma, E., Liu, S., & Raznahan, A. (2022) · Biology of Sex Differences · doi:10.1186/s13293-022-00448-w · Cited by 149
“For example, reduced helpseeking behavior in men may explain their lower treatment rates for depression [92], and current diagnostic guidelines lead clinicians to under-detect ASD in females [93].”
Contact With Mental Health Services Prior to Suicide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Walby, F. A., Myhre, M. Ø., & Kildahl, A. T. (2018) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.201700475 · Cited by 156
“This finding implies that use of such services is less prevalent among men (61,62).”
BackgroundKaraffa, K. M., & Koch, J. M. (2016) · Criminal Justice and Behavior · doi:10.1177/0093854815613103 · Cited by 150
Men's help seeking: Examination of differences across community size, education, and income.
Hammer, J. H., Vogel, D. L., & Edwards, S. R. (2012) · Psychology of Men & Masculinity · doi:10.1037/a0026813 · Cited by 174
Men’s Mental Health Services: The Case for a Masculinities Model
Seidler, Z., Rice, S., River, J., Oliffe, J., & Dhillon, H. (2018) · The Journal of Men s Studies · doi:10.1177/1060826517729406 · Cited by 132
“Clearly, when men access services, health care system approaches regularly fail to fully engage them, and the chances are low that these men will attempt to reengage via other services after a negative experience (Calear, Griffiths, & Christensen, 2011; Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundSeparation as a suicide risk factor
Wyder, M., Ward, P., & Leo, D. D. (2009) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2008.11.007 · Cited by 146
“…et al., 1999); to inhibit emotional expressiveness and choose aggression and risk-taking as responses to stressful events (Grossman and Wood, 1993; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002a,b); to use avoidant coping strategies (Halstead et al., 1993); and to limit help-seeking behaviour (Barker and Adelman,…”
BackgroundThe Disclosure Experiences of Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors
Gagnier, C., & Collin-Vézina, D. (2016) · Journal of Child Sexual Abuse · doi:10.1080/10538712.2016.1124308 · Cited by 144
“Simply put, “boys are taught to be stoical and to ignore symptoms (“boys don’t cry”), the threshold for expressing pain and emotional sensitivity (especially related to emotions like weakness, uncertainty, helplessness, and sadness) is heightened and results in emotional restriction” (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundPitman, A., Krysinska, K., Osborn, D., & King, M. (2012) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60731-4 · Cited by 144
Stigma and the military: Evaluation of a PTSD psychoeducational program
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“In addition, the sample was mainly comprised of men and research (e.g., Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002) consistently shows gender difference in help-seeking behavior, perhaps because of the social norms of traditional masculinity (e.g., courage, independence, success, and invulnerability).”
BackgroundWilson, C. J., & Deane, F. P. (2012) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.06.011 · Cited by 131
“Most studies have found that females are more likely than males to seek professional help (e.g., Garland & Zigler, 1994; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002).”
Masculinity and Race-Related Factors as Barriers to Health Help-Seeking Among African American Men
Powell, W. A., Adams, L. B., Cole-Lewis, Y., Agyemang, A. A., & Upton, R. (2016) · Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1080/08964289.2016.1165174 · Cited by 155
Social media behavior, toxic masculinity, and depression.
Parent, M. C., Gobble, T., & Rochlen, A. B. (2018) · Psychology of Men & Masculinity · doi:10.1037/men0000156 · Cited by 161
Kuyper, L., & Vanwesenbeeck, I. (2010) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224491003654473 · Cited by 134
“The fact that internalized homonegativity was related to sexual health care need among women but not among men could possibly be explained by the fact that women are more likely to seek professional (psychological) help in the first place (eg, Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002 ; Ojeda & Bergstresser, 2008 ; Wang et al, 2007 ).”
BackgroundNew fathers’ perinatal depression and anxiety-treatment options: an integrative review
O’Brien, A. P., McNeil, K. A., Fletcher, R., Conrad, A., Wilson, A. J., Jones, D., & Chan, S. W. (2017) · American Journal of Men's Health · doi:10.1177/1557988316669047 · Cited by 131
The study of men and masculinity as an important multicultural competency consideration
Liu, W. M. (2005) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20103 · Cited by 127
Houle, J., Mishara, B. L., & Chagnon, F. (2008) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2007.07.016 · Cited by 124
Gender Differences in Individuals at High‐Risk of Psychosis: A Comprehensive Literature Review
Barajas, A., Ochoa, S., Obiols, J. E., & Lalucat-Jo, L. (2015) · The Scientific World Journal · doi:10.1155/2015/430735 · Cited by 122
“Finally, it is important to note that more women than men seek help for psychological or medical problems [39].”
BackgroundA Review of Men's Health and Masculinity
Garfield, C. F., Isacco, A. J., & Rogers, T. E. (2008) · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.1177/1559827608323213 · Cited by 123
Maske, U. E., Buttery, A. K., Beesdo-Baum, K., Riedel-Heller, S., Hapke, U., & Busch, M. A. (2016) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2015.10.006 · Cited by 120
Victora, C. G., Hartwig, F. P., Vidaletti, L. P., Martorell, R., Osmond, C., Richter, L., Stein, A. D., Barros, A. J. D., Adair, L. S., Barros, F. C., et al. (2022) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)02716-1 · Cited by 118
Big boys don’t cry: depression and men
Branney, P., & White, A. (2008) · Advances in Psychiatric Treatment · doi:10.1192/apt.bp.106.003467 · Cited by 117
“For example, seeking help might be interpreted as incompetence and dependence (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002), and research has shown that individuals who adhere to the masculine role have negative attitudes towards using counselling services (Good & Wood, 1995).”
BackgroundYoung adults face major barriers to seeking help from mental health services
Vanheusden, K., Mulder, C. L., van der Ende, J., van Lenthe, F. J., Mackenbach, J. P., & Verhulst, F. C. (2008) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2008.05.006 · Cited by 152
Is there evidence for a male depressive syndrome in inpatients with major depression?
Möller-Leimkühler, A. M., Ronald Bottlender, A., Strauß, A., & Rutz, W. (2003) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/s0165-0327(03)00051-x · Cited by 115
Self-citationHarris, M. G., Diminic, S., Reavley, N., Baxter, A., Pirkis, J., & Whiteford, H. A. (2015) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867415577434 · Cited by 113
“Future consideration could be given to including a policy focus on overcoming male-specific barriers to help-seeking, including traditional constructions of masculinity (Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002), comorbidity and low rates of help seeking for substance use disorders.”
BackgroundUnderstanding how men experience, express and cope with mental distress: where next?
Ridge, D., Emslie, C., & White, A. (2010) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01266.x · Cited by 119
Matthews, D. D., Hammond, W. P., Nuru-Jeter, A., Cole-Lewis, Y., & Melvin, T. (2013) · Psychology of Men & Masculinity · doi:10.1037/a0028436 · Cited by 112
“However, as the gender gap in the prevalence of depression is narrowing over time (Addis, 2008; Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005; Möller-Leimkühler, 2002; Oliffe & Phillips, 2008; Stoolmiller, Kim, & Capaldi, 2005), researchers are paying increasing attention to depression among men.”
BackgroundSchlichthorst, M., Sanci, L. A., Pirkis, J., Spittal, M. J., & Hocking, J. S. (2016) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3706-5 · Cited by 126
“Negative attitudes to help seeking have been discussed as a barrier to help seeking in men [20, 27, 28], particularly in the context of mental health problems [26, 29, 30].”
BackgroundDepression and anxiety in patients with different rare chronic diseases: A cross-sectional study.
Uhlenbusch, N., Löwe, B., Härter, M., Schramm, C., Weiler-Normann, C., & Depping, M. K. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0211343 · Cited by 111
Hinton, L., Zweifach, M., Tang, L., Unützer, J., & Oishi, S. (2006) · American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/01.jgp.0000219282.32915.a4 · Cited by 109
“Our findings are consistent with prior literature on male psychology that emphasizes that depressed men often express their distress through alternative idioms such as anger, rage, and risky behavior.(15,36) Our qualitative data, based on the perspectives of those who provide care to older depressed men, also suggests…”
ResultAdherence to Depression Treatment in Older Adults: A Narrative Review
Zivin, K., & Kales, H. C. (2008) · Drugs & Aging · doi:10.2165/00002512-200825070-00003 · Cited by 110
Kobau, R., DiIorio, C. K., Chapman, D., Delvecchio, P., & Members, S. M. I. S. P. (2009) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-009-9191-x · Cited by 112
“Men’s scores on negative stereotypes and more negative views toward recovery and outcomes may result from traditional masculine social roles ( Moller-Leimkuhler 2002; Tudiver and Talbot 1999).”
BackgroundHorwitz, A. G., McGuire, T., Busby, D. R., Eisenberg, D., Zheng, K., Pistorello, J., Albucher, R., Coryell, W., & King, C. A. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.115 · Cited by 107
“This is consistent with other studies that have indicated men are less likely to seek help, even when distress levels are similar to women (e.g., Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
ResultSuicide Prevention: State of the Art Review
Stone, D. M., & Crosby, A. E. (2014) · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.1177/1559827614551130 · Cited by 103
Men's views on depression: A systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative research
Krumm, S., Checchia, C., Koesters, M., Kilian, R., & Becker, T. (2017) · Psychopathology · doi:10.1159/000455256 · Cited by 104
Sand, M. S., Fisher, W. A., Rosen, R. C., Heiman, J. R., & Ian Eardley, C. (2008) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00720.x · Cited by 105
“Research has also found that men seek psychiatric and counseling services less often than women with comparable emotional problems [17,18], and demonstrate lower rates of help seeking for such diverse conditions as cancer and depression [19, 20 ].”
BackgroundO’Brien, R., Hart, G. J., & Hunt, K. (2007) · International Journal of Men s Health · doi:10.3149/jmh.0603.178 · Cited by 103
“However, there are some empirical data indicating that help-seeking with depressive symptoms may present particular difficulties for men because of the challenge this presents to the sense of masculinity (Heifner, 1997; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002).”
BackgroundWhat Interrupts Suicide Attempts in Men: A Qualitative Study
Player, M. J., Proudfoot, J. G., Fogarty, A. S., Whittle, E. L., Spurrier, M., Shand, F., Christensen, H. M., Hadži-Pavlović, D., & Wilhelm, K. A. (2015) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0128180 · Cited by 101
“Furthermore, a positive correlation is observed between higher adherence to masculine norms and a higher likelihood of experiencing depressive episodes [5,6].”
BackgroundExamining the role of sex in self-injurious thoughts and behaviors
Fox, K. R., Millner, A. J., Mukerji, C. E., & Nock, M. K. (2018) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2017.09.009 · Cited by 99
“Men are less likely than women to use health care services for routine, yearly visits and preventative services, even controlling for age, and pregnancy-related visits (Garfield, Isacco, & Rogers, 2008) as well as less likely to seek and utilize mental health care services for things like stressful life events, depres…”
BackgroundSubjective well-being and ‘male depression’ in male adolescents
Leimkühler, A. M., Heller, J., & Paulus, N.-C. (2006) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2006.07.007 · Cited by 100
Who Influence Men to Go to Therapy? Reports from Men Attending Psychological Services
Cusack, J., Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2004) · International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling · doi:10.1023/b:adco.0000035530.44111.a8 · Cited by 99
“…file version Nov 28th, 2002 272 Cusack, Deane, Wilson, and Ciarrochi seek help for mental health problems (Mahalik, Good & Englar-Carlson, 2003) a finding that has been identified across a number of cultural groups (e.g., Barry, Doherty, Hope, Sixsmith, & Kelleher, 2000; Moeller-Leimkuehler, 2002).”
Men In and Out of Treatment for Depression: Strategies for Improved Engagement
Seidler, Z. E., Rice, S. M., Oliffe, J. L., Fogarty, A. S., & Dhillon, H. M. (2018) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1111/ap.12331 · Cited by 96
Currier, D., Lindner, R., Spittal, M. J., Cvetkovski, S., Pirkis, J., & English, D. R. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.09.061 · Cited by 96
Belief in dealing with depression alone: Results from community surveys of adolescents and adults
Jorm, A. F., Kelly, C., Wright, A., Parslow, R., Harris, M., & McGorry, P. D. (2006) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2006.05.018 · Cited by 95
“This finding is consistent with earlier research showing a lower rate of help-seeking in males for depression (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002), as well as other health problems (Galdas et al.”
ResultHippocampal volume in first episode and recurrent depression
Kronmüller, K., Schröder, J., Köhler, S., Götz, B., Victor, D., Unger, J., Giesel, F., Magnotta, V. A., Mundt, C., Essig, M., et al. (2009) · Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.08.001 · Cited by 94
“Depressive men, especially in their first episode, seek medical treatment at a later point in time than depressive women do (Piccinelli and Wilkinson, 2000; Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundBeing men with eating disorders: Perspectives of male eating disorder service-users
Robinson, K. J., Mountford, V. A., & Sperlinger, D. J. (2012) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/1359105312440298 · Cited by 94
“Previous research (Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002) has shown that men are less likely than women to seek help for emotional problems more generally, and this may also have contributed to participants’ difficulties admitting the ED.”
MethodEurope's men need their own health strategy
White, A., McKee, M., Richardson, N., Visser, R. D., Madsen, S. A., Sousa, B. C. D., Hogston, R., Zatonski, W., & Makara, P. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d7397 · Cited by 87
“Men are less likely to contact health services because of mental health problems, 27 potentially placing them at risk of deterioration and suicide.”
Umubyeyi, A., Mogren, I., Ntaganira, J., & Krantz, G. (2016) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-015-1130-2 · Cited by 91
“in which ‘‘real men’’ are considered to be physically fit, careless of their health and self-sufficient [36] while young women are more likely to make use of the most trusted people in their social environment to find help, support and advice for mental health problems [37].”
BackgroundCritical Issues in Men’s Mental Health
Bilsker, D., Fogarty, A. S., & Wakefield, M. A. (2018) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0706743718766052 · Cited by 90
Occupational risk of affective and stress-related disorders in the Danish workforce
Wieclaw, J., Agerbo, E., Mortensen, P. B., & Bonde, J. P. (2005) · Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health · doi:10.5271/sjweh.917 · Cited by 93
“This finding may explain why women are more often diagnosed, but not necessarily more affected by depressive and stress-related disorders (49, 50).”
BackgroundA comparison of the medical lethality of suicide attempts in bipolar and major depressive disorders
Zalsman, G., Braun, M., Arendt, M. C. B. B., Grunebaum, M. F., Sher, L., Burke, A. K., Brent, D. A., Chaudhury, S. R., Mann, J. J., & Oquendo, M. A. (2006) · Bipolar Disorders · doi:10.1111/j.1399-5618.2006.00381.x · Cited by 89
Men managing cancer: a gender analysis
Wenger, L. M., & Oliffe, J. L. (2013) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12045 · Cited by 88
Sex Differences in Consequences of Musculoskeletal Pain
Wijnhoven, H. A. H., de Vet, H. C. W., & Picavet, H. S. J. (2007) · Spine · doi:10.1097/brs.0b013e31805931fd · Cited by 87
“Finally, perhaps different role expectations for the sexes may explain sex differences in healthcare use: help seeking may be more socially acceptable for women than for men.(20) Unlike healthcare use, no sex differences were found for work disability (ever in life) or work leave due to any MP in the currently working…”
BackgroundMen’s Likely Responses to Clinical Depression: What Are They and Do Masculinity Norms Predict Them?
Mahalik, J. R., & Rochlen, A. B. (2006) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9121-0 · Cited by 90
“Despite these alarming rates of suicide, men tend to avoid seeking help for depression compared to women (Kessler, Brown, & Boman, 1981; Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002; Padesky & Hammen, 1981; Rickwood & Braithwaite, 1994 ;W eissman & Klerman, 1977).”
BackgroundMaeshima, L. S., & Parent, M. C. (2020) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2020.1819820 · Cited by 86
“Across myriad studies, men have lower rates of mental health help-seeking behaviors in comparison to women.(22,23) A possible explanation for this difference is gender role socialization.”
BackgroundMarital Processes around Depression: A Gendered and Relational Perspective
Thomeer, M. B., Umberson, D., & Pudrovska, T. (2013) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/2156869313487224 · Cited by 85
Depression underdiagnosis: Prevalence and associated factors. A population-based study
Faisal‐Cury, A., Ziebold, C., Rodrigues, D. M. D. O., & Matijasevich, A. (2022) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.04.025 · Cited by 99
Help‐Seeking in the Norwegian Police Service
Berg, A. M., Hem, E., Lau, B., & Ekeberg, Ø. (2006) · Journal of Occupational Health · doi:10.1539/joh.48.145 · Cited by 85
Prenatal parental depression and preterm birth: a national cohort study
Liu, C., Cnattingius, S., Bergström, M., Östberg, V., & Hjern, A. (2016) · BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology · doi:10.1111/1471-0528.13891 · Cited by 84
Gender differences in general and specialty outpatient mental health service use for depression
Gagné, S., Vasiliadis, H., & Préville, M. (2014) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-14-135 · Cited by 84
Amminger, G., Leicester, S., Yung, A., Phillips, L., Berger, G., Francey, S., Yuen, H. P., & Mcgorry, P. (2006) · Schizophrenia Research · doi:10.1016/j.schres.2006.02.018 · Cited by 90
“However, the relatively high proportion of females among UHR individuals, as compared to first episode samples, may also be explained by the notion that more females than males seek help for psychological or medical problems (Moller-Leimkuhler, 2002).”
BackgroundHackler, A. H., Vogel, D. L., & Wade, N. G. (2010) · Journal of Counseling & Development · doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2010.tb00042.x · Cited by 82
The Psychology of White Nationalism: Ambivalence Towards a Changing America
Reyna, C., Bellovary, A. K., & Harris, K. (2022) · Social Issues and Policy Review · doi:10.1111/sipr.12081 · Cited by 86
Depression and anxiety in the reindeer-herding Sami population of Sweden
Kaiser, N., Sjölander, P., Liljegren, A. E., Jacobsson, L. H., & Renberg, E. S. (2010) · International Journal of Circumpolar Health · doi:10.3402/ijch.v69i4.17674 · Cited by 84
“studies have pointed out that traditional male gender roles may explain the reluctance of men to seek help, arguing that norms of traditional masculinity inhibit emotional expressiveness (26) and also account for the greater occurrence of undetected depression among men than women (27).”
BackgroundBarrett, B. J., Peirone, A., & Cheung, C. H. (2019) · Journal of Family Violence · doi:10.1007/s10896-019-00086-8 · Cited by 81
“2018) and adulthood (Moller-Leimkuhler 2002), with females requesting help more readily than males.”
BackgroundClark, L. H., Hudson, J. L., Rapee, R. M., & Grasby, K. L. (2020) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102292 · Cited by 78
Latino Immigrant Men's Perceptions of Depression and Attitudes Toward Help Seeking
Cabassa, L. J. (2007) · Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1177/0739986307307157 · Cited by 77
“For some, the abuse of alcohol or drugs is used as a coping mechanism to self-medicate depressive symptoms and can distort the clinical picture making it harder for clinicians to recognize depression as a separate illness (Cochran & Rabinowitz, 2000; Möller-Leimkühler, 2002).”
BackgroundMasculinities, Work, and Retirement Among Older Men Who Experience Depression
Oliffe, J. L., Rasmussen, B., Bottorff, J. L., Kelly, M. T., Galdas, P., Phinney, A., & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2013) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732313509408 · Cited by 80
“Men’s preference for selfmanaging depression has been linked to their desire to embody idealized masculinities amid distancing themselves from “having” a mood disorder or “needing” emotional support—deficits and actions that are typically associated with femininities (Johnson, Oliffe, Kelly, Galdas, & Ogrodniczuk, 201…”
BackgroundInfluential“I Don’t Need Help”: Gender Differences in how Gender Stereotypes Predict Help-Seeking
Juvrud, J., & Rennels, J. L. (2016) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0653-7 · Cited by 96
“…help-seeking behaviors significantly more than did male participants during the puzzle tasks, χ2(1, N = 560) = 30.03, p < .001, r = .23, replicating findings from previous help-seeking research (Ashton and Fuehrer 1993; Benenson and Koulnazarian 2008; Johnson 1988; Moller-Leimkuhler 2002).”
ResultInfluential
Metadata
- Authors
- Möller-Leimkühler, A. M.
- Affiliations
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Möller-Leimkühler, Anne Maria
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2002-09
- Volume
- 71
- Issue
- 1-3
- Pages
- 1-9
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1988759229
- Cited by
- 851
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 47 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 59 · 2014: 40 · 2013: 35 · 2012: 46
- FWCI
- 6.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- help-seeking, men, depression, masculinity, traditional masculinity, emotional expressiveness, barriers to treatment, gender differences, depressive symptoms, symptom perception, social norms
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Cultural Characteristics, Depression, Gender Identity, Humans, Male, Social Conditions, Health Behavior
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