The social barriers and social facilitators of men's medical help seeking behaviours : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand
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Date
2013
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Massey University
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Abstract
Gender, along with men’s alignment with the normative masculine
identity have been identified key determinants of medical help seeking for
cancer symptoms. Combined these factors influence the self construct and
shape individual attitudes, values, beliefs, norms, expectations and thus
behaviours regarding health and including when medical help is sought. Socially
conditioned from birth and with a need to conform to social expectations, men
delay medical help seeking until their pain is unbearable, or they are faced with
an inability to complete routine tasks due to the severity of their illness
symptoms. This pattern of men’s delayed help seeking contributes to their early
mortality from all the leading causes of death, including gender neutral cancers.
Lifestyle factors have been identified key determinants of cancer and
thus cancer is concentrated in low socio economic areas where factors such as
poor nutrition, high obesity and low exercise prevail, as does delayed medical
help seeking by men. In considering how best to address men’s delayed help
seeking, the source and accuracy of the health information men held was
investigated and was found to be to a large extent, inaccurate. A positive factor
identified however was that men do discuss heath issues, informally amongst
themselves.
With numerous factors influencing men’s medical help seeking,
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979) was identified a suitable
framework on which to base this investigation into those social factors that
influence men’s medical help seeking. Suggestions are made as to how to use
this same framework to effect population behavioural change in this regard, that
if successful would see improved treatment outcomes and a reduction in the
gender mortality disparity.
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Keywords
Help-seeking behavior, Heath attitudes, Men, Health and hygiene, Social aspects, Attitudes, New Zealand