2023/04/06 by Nunn, Andrew, Stewart, Rebecca, Wright, Breanna +5
#health #help seeking #men's health #review
paper · doi:10.17605/osf.io/gbxuw
Help-seeking in the context of healthcare involves seeking help for an existing health condition or to prevent future conditions. Men can be less likely than women to seek help for their health. This rapid review identifies the barriers and facilitators to men seeking help for various health concerns. Four databases were searched in April, 2022, using terms related to men, health and help-seeking. Systematic reviews published after 2009 were eligible for inclusion. Duplicates were removed before 5690 studies were screened for inclusion; 29 reviews were included and underwent data extraction and quality assessment. The majority of reviews satisfied most quality criteria. Data were synthesised narratively to identify themes. The studies included men from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and examined help-seeking for various health concerns and behaviours. Barriers to help-seeking by men included: stigma associated with help-seeking (especially for sexual health); the need to preserve masculinity; feeling fear related to the process of help-seeking and anticipated assessments or treatments; having poor health literacy specific to symptom identification, and knowing when help is needed and where to access it; having little support from others around them to seek help; and having healthcare services that are inaccessible or insensitive to the needs of men. Facilitators to help-seeking behaviour included: the removal of fear by ensuring men are comfortable and understand the need to seek help; improving health literacy by increasing awareness of health conditions impacting men; having supportive family and peers who encourage help-seeking; and having services that are accessible and sensitive to the unique needs of men. Overall, the identified barriers and facilitators can be used to design interventions that accept the common perception of help-seeking being unmasculine, while also challenging that notion and making help-seeking appear attractive and essential for men to live their best life.