Referring men to seek help: The influence of gender role conflict and stigma

Why do men tend to underutilize mental health services? One reason may be that men are less frequently referred to seek such services. Indeed, male friends and family members may be particularly unlikely to refer men to seek mental health services, as it means going against the traditional male gender role proscription of talking to other men about emotional issues. This study is the first to explore how men’s experiences of gender role conflict may be associated with an increased endorsement of stigmatization around mental health concerns and, subsequently, a decreased willingness to refer friends and family members experiencing a mental health concern to seek help. Results based on structural equation modeling with data from 216 male collegians indicated that men who endorsed greater restricted emotionality were less willing to refer friends and family members experiencing a mental health concern to seek treatment. In turn, men who endorsed greater Restricted affectionate behavior between men also endorsed greater stigma, which then led to a decreased willingness to refer friends and family members to seek help.