Abstract
Black men experience disproportionate mental health challenges due to their exposure to severe psychosocial stressors. Yet, the mental health challenges of Black men have largely been left out of national conversations. Strong theoretical frameworks are important when generating dialogue about the mental health of Black men, as it helps to validate the work on a larger scale while also grounding the work for more practical use. This paper presents the conceptual framework for a five-year initiative aimed at improving the living, learning, and thriving of young Black men through a social media intervention that improves their mental health, expands their definitions of manhood, and helps them to engage in social support. The Young, Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) project is a social media-based, health promotion program that targets mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms), masculine norms (e.g., definitions of manhood), and social support for young Black men using culturally-sensitive, age-appropriate, and gender-specific popular culture. The YBMen project has been successfully implemented with over 150+ Black men since 2014; findings demonstrate improved mental health outcomes, progressive definitions of manhood, and stronger social relationships. Reflections from the past and projections for the future are discussed.
Highlights
As they progress to and through their developmental years, young adults experience changes with their physical and sexual maturity, social relationships, identity, independence, and educational demands [1,2,3], which can prompt health problems, trigger vulnerabilities, and constrain coping behaviors and access to resources
Health promotion interventions designed for Black men as they transition to and through early adulthood provide a unique opportunity to intervene at a time when they are susceptible to stress, depression, and risky health behaviors that contribute to early morbidity and mortality
A culturally adapted psychoeducational intervention for Black men delivered through a medium that is already integrated into their lifestyle, such as social media, is likely to be more acceptable and sustainable compared to other styles of health education
Summary
As they progress to and through their developmental years, young adults experience changes with their physical and sexual maturity, social relationships, identity, independence, and educational demands [1,2,3], which can prompt health problems, trigger vulnerabilities, and constrain coping behaviors and access to resources. In addition to these developmental changes, young Black men experience additional challenges associated with their exposure to psychosocial stressors compared to young men of other races [4,5,6,7,8]. I describe the synergistic framework used to design, implement, and evaluate the YBMen project; reflect on the program’s progress to date; and project steps for this and other programs aimed at young Black men and men from other marginalized groups
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