Does Male Gender Role Conflict Inhibit Help‐Seeking?1

Abstract

AbstractSeveral studies have reported negative associations between help‐seeking and male gender role conflict (GRC). We examined associations between three indices of help‐seeking—help‐seeking intentions, help‐seeking attitudes, and help‐seeking styles—and two aspects of GRC: restrictive emotionality and success/power/competition. Additionally, we compared the impact of restrictive emotionality and success/power/competition, both as derived from the male gender role and as not solely derived from the male gender role, on help‐seeking. We conducted an online survey with 500 men who answered questions on help‐seeking, GRC, and subjective needs. Multiple‐group structural equation modeling indicated that restrictive emotionality derived from the male gender role was negatively associated with attitudes toward help‐seeking, which supported previous studies. However, restrictive emotionality derived from the male gender role was not related to help‐seeking intentions. In contrast, restrictive emotionality which is not derived from the male gender role had a negative association with most help‐seeking variables. These results suggest that while GRC is related to attitudes toward help‐seeking, its impact on help‐seeking is nevertheless quite limited.