The gender paradox: Understanding the role of masculinity in suicidal ideation
Open accessAbstract
It is important to understand the role of social determinants, such as gender, in suicidal ideation. This study examined whether conformity to specific masculine norms, particularly high self-reliance and emotional self-control, moderated the relationship between psychological distress and suicidal ideation for men. The other norms explored were those pertaining to behavioral–emotional or social hierarchy status aspects of masculinity, and whether they moderated the psychological distress–suicidal ideation relationship for men and women. The Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale were administered to an Australian community sample in an online survey ( n = 486). As predicted, higher psychological distress was associated with higher suicidal ideation. Self-reliance enhanced the relationship and was the only moderator among men. High self-reliance levels might be an important indicator of risk, which can be used when assessing and working with men who are hesitant to openly discuss suicidal ideation with clinicians. For female participants, higher endorsement of behavioral–emotional norms and lower conformity to social hierarchy status norms appear to increase suicide risk in the presence of psychological distress. Our findings suggest that high self-reliance is of particular concern for men experiencing psychological distress. It is also important to consider the roles of masculine norm endorsement in the psychological distress–suicidal ideation relationship among women.
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“It is well established that men are more likely to complete suicide and less likely to report suicidality (Scourfield & Evans, 2015), with higher self-identification with traditional male behavioural norms associated with increased suicide risk (Griffin et al., 2022).”
- Authors
- Griffin, L., Hosking, W., Gill, P. R., Shearson, K., Ivey, G., & Sharples, J.
- Affiliations
- Victoria University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Gill, Peter Richard
- Venue
- American Journal of Men s Health
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2022-09
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 15579883221123853-15579883221123853
- ISSN
- 1557-9883 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-9891
- PMC
- PMC9490473
- OpenAlex
- W4296329461
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 4
- FWCI
- 7.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- American Journal of Men s Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- victoria university
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
- Keywords
- suicidal ideation, masculinity, masculine norms, self-reliance, emotion regulation, psychological distress, gender differences, suicide risk
- MeSH terms
- Psychological Distress, Australia, Female, Humans, Male, Violence, Masculinity, Suicidal Ideation
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