Title:
Masculinity, sociocultural factors, and the help-seeking behavior of Latino men
Author:
Bernhard Herlyn
Thesis Advisor:
Charles LoPresto
Committee Member:
Adanna Johnson
Committee Member:
Matthew Kirkhart
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2014
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
The current study sought to examine the relationship between masculinity and sociocultural factors among the psychological help-seeking behavior of Latino men. As the Latino population of the United States increases, they continue to have an unmet need for mental health care. In general, men tend to utilize psychotherapy even less than women. For Latino men, this disparity is even greater. They may be less likely to seek psychological help for multiple reasons, including cultural as well as masculinity barriers. The present study interviewed seven Latino men in a semi-structured interview format. The participants were all in psychotherapy at the time of the study, and the aim was to assess their conceptions of masculinity, their help-seeking attitudes, barriers to help-seeking, as well as ways to tailor available psychotherapy services better for this population. The interviews were analyzed for recurrent themes using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative methodology of analysis. The results indicated that all of the participants found it difficult to ask for help, mainly due to a tendency towards self-reliance and a preference to avoid showing weakness. Many of them identified barriers and fears that other Latino men may have about seeking psychotherapy, including that it is only for ?ǣcrazy?ǥ people and that psychotherapy is unmanly. Participants also provided ideas on how to improve psychotherapy services for Latino men. Implications for clinical practice, limitations of the current study, and areas for future research were discussed.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Doctor of Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
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Identifier:
HerlynB-14
