Cleary Anne
UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Front Sociol. 2022 Sep 13;7:868005. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2022.868005. eCollection 2022.
Male rates of suicide exceed female rates and research findings indicate an association between particular practices of masculinity, specifically emotional constraint, and male suicide. This paper examines gender and family influences on men's wellbeing, based on in-depth interviews with a sample of fifty-two men, aged 18-30 years, who made a clinically serious or near-fatal suicide attempt and were recruited following presentation to hospital. Themes derived from the analysis included which relates to the gender culture within the home, and . Results demonstrated that the men were generally from families where hegemonic ideals of masculinity, emphasizing strength and emotional stoicism, were practiced. This gender environment, which was reinforced in the neighborhood, restricted behavior and the expression of feeling, shaped communication between fathers and sons and affected the father's ability to emotionally engage with his son. Fathers were significant figures in these men's lives and were role models for demonstrating masculinity practices but there was an absence of positive, nurturing, relationships between fathers and sons and this influenced the son's gender learning and his wellbeing. Fathers who were emotionally distant, and particularly those who were abusive, gave rise to feelings of rejection, sadness and anger in their sons but problematic father-son relationships were not addressed nor ill-treatment in childhood disclosed due to gender-related constraints on expression. Restrictions on expression and prohibitions on revealing weakness denied the men a space to explore as well as manage the issues of their lives and prevented them from revealing distress. They coped by sublimating problems and disguising vulnerability and by seeking emotional comfort within intimate partnerships but these men were susceptible to situations which threatened their psychological security. Overall, the study demonstrated challenges for males raised in settings of hegemonic masculinity and the importance of nurturing father-son relationships for male wellbeing. The results imply the need for a focus on the benefits of positive fathering and the inclusion of more nuanced messaging relating to men's emotions in Public Health messaging.
男性自杀率超过女性，研究结果表明，特定的男性气质实践，特别是情感压抑，与男性自杀之间存在关联。本文基于对52名年龄在18至30岁之间的男性进行的深入访谈，探讨了性别和家庭对男性幸福感的影响。这些男性均有严重或近乎致命的自杀未遂经历，且是在住院后被招募的。分析得出的主题包括与家庭内部性别文化相关的内容，以及 。结果表明，这些男性普遍来自践行强调力量和情感坚忍的霸权男性气质理想的家庭。这种在邻里环境中得到强化的性别环境限制了行为和情感表达，塑造了父子之间的沟通，并影响了父亲与儿子进行情感交流的能力。父亲在这些男性的生活中是重要人物，是展示男性气质实践的榜样，但父子之间缺乏积极、滋养的关系，这影响了儿子的性别认知学习及其幸福感。情感疏远的父亲，尤其是那些有虐待行为的父亲，会让儿子产生被拒绝、悲伤和愤怒的感觉，但由于与性别相关的表达限制，有问题的父子关系并未得到解决，童年时期的虐待行为也未被披露。对表达的限制和对暴露弱点的禁止，使这些男性无法探索和处理生活中的问题，也无法表露痛苦。他们通过升华问题、伪装脆弱以及在亲密关系中寻求情感安慰来应对，但这些男性容易受到威胁其心理安全感的情况的影响。总体而言，该研究表明在霸权男性气质环境中成长的男性面临挑战，以及滋养父子关系对男性幸福感的重要性。结果意味着需要关注积极养育的益处，并在公共卫生信息中纳入更细致入微的有关男性情感的信息。
