The University of Adelaide - School of Psychology, Adelaide, Australia.
The University of Adelaide - Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, Adelaide, Australia.
Health Promot J Austr. 2021 Oct;32 Suppl 2:95-105. doi: 10.1002/hpja.458. Epub 2021 Feb 15.
The current study aimed to qualitatively explore men's help-seeking behaviours by analysing male callers' talk on an Australian health helpline. Analysis focused on identifying the ways in which men positioned themselves as help-seekers and the extent to which help-seeking behaviours deviated or conformed to the narrative commonly reported on in men's health literature which, generally speaking, positions men as reluctant help-seekers and health service users.
The present study utilised naturally occurring instances of men's help-seeking during 196 calls to the helpline, Healthdirect Australia. Thematic analysis was used to explore recurrent themes in help-seeking interactions.
The analysis yielded three broad themes, which were formulated as caller archetypes. These themes included the 'reluctant caller', the 'unwell patient' and the 'concerned carer', as well as a number of associated sub-themes within these broad categories.
The findings demonstrated that male callers sought help in a variety of different ways, rather than prescribing to a homogenous pattern of help-seeking. However, it was acknowledged that some data did align with help-seeking behaviour which indicated men's reluctance to engage with their own health. SO WHAT?: The present study contributes to men's health promotion by identifying the various social devices used by men to facilitate help-seeking. The findings highlight the changing and flexible landscape of contemporary masculinity and its impact on health engagement. Recognising the versatility in men's health behaviour is important for ensuring that men have positive experiences during healthcare encounters which, in turn, may facilitate future health service uptake and engagement.
本研究旨在通过分析澳大利亚健康热线男性来电者的谈话，从质的角度探讨男性寻求帮助的行为。分析重点是确定男性将自己定位为寻求帮助者的方式，以及寻求帮助的行为偏离或符合男性健康文献中通常报告的叙述的程度，一般来说，男性被定位为不情愿的寻求帮助者和卫生服务使用者。
本研究利用澳大利亚健康热线 Healthdirect 上 196 个来电中自然发生的男性寻求帮助的实例。采用主题分析方法探讨寻求帮助互动中的反复出现的主题。
分析产生了三个广泛的主题，这些主题被制定为来电者原型。这些主题包括“不情愿的来电者”、“不适的患者”和“关心的照顾者”，以及这些广泛类别中的一些相关子主题。
研究结果表明，男性来电者以各种不同的方式寻求帮助，而不是遵循单一的寻求帮助模式。然而，承认一些数据确实与表明男性不愿意关注自己健康的寻求帮助行为一致。
本研究通过确定男性用来促进寻求帮助的各种社会手段，为男性健康促进做出了贡献。研究结果突出了当代男性气质的变化和灵活性及其对健康参与的影响。认识到男性健康行为的多样性对于确保男性在医疗保健接触中获得积极体验非常重要，这反过来又可能促进未来的卫生服务利用和参与。
