Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
‘We do not like talking about our problems’: socialization and idealized masculinity as drivers of help-seeking avoidance among college men in South Africa
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
‘We do not like talking about our problems’: socialization and idealized masculinity as drivers of help-seeking avoidance among college men in South Africa
Do you wish to request the book?
‘We do not like talking about our problems’: socialization and idealized masculinity as drivers of help-seeking avoidance among college men in South Africa
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
‘We do not like talking about our problems’: socialization and idealized masculinity as drivers of help-seeking avoidance among college men in South Africa
2025
Overview
Background
This article explores how identities and contexts influence help-seeking avoidance behaviour among college men.
Methods
This exploratory qualitative study purposively selected 88 male students (aged 18–30) from some universities and Technical and Vocational Training colleges (TVETs) in South Africa. Data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs). Eight FGDs were conducted, one in each selected university (
n
= 2) and TVETs (
n
= 6) in 2018–2019. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.
Results
We found that college men’s early life experiences and socialisation strongly influenced their ability to express emotion and access services when in need of help. The data also revealed a masculinity that men aspired to and wanted to be seen as embracing or personifying while on campus. Most men ascribed to an ideal of masculinity that made it difficult for them to share their feelings (e.g., emotional pain, sadness; and bottle their emotions) and seek help from campus-based counselors or peers. The few men who reported using campus mental health support services appraised them as unsuitable and unhelpful for them, and indicated a preference for services that were more culturally relevant. Most men indicated a preference for male counselors, of which there were very few.
Conclusions
These findings may be useful for the formulation of evidence-based context-specific and culturally sensitive approaches for increasing men’s access to mental health and psychological support services on South African college campuses.
