Men's Help Seeking for Depression: The Efficacy of a Male-Sensitive Brochure About Counseling

Joseph H. Hammer, David L. Vogel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although depression among men is becoming better understood, men still underuse counseling services. Hence, there is an important need for improved ways to reach out to depressed men. This study examined the efficacy of a male-sensitive brochure aimed toward improving attitudes about seeking counseling and reducing the self-stigma of seeking counseling among 1,397 depressed men who had not previously sought help for their depression. Results indicate that the male-sensitive brochure, which incorporated current knowledge from the psychology of men and masculinity and mental health marketing, improved participants’ attitudes and reduced their self-stigma toward counseling. Furthermore, the new brochure improved attitudes and reduced stigma to a greater degree than previously developed brochures. Implications for mental health marketing, practice, and research are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)296-313
Number of pages18
JournalCounseling Psychologist
Volume38
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2010

Keywords

  • attitude change
  • depression
  • help seeking
  • men
  • self-stigma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology

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