Latinx Men in the Central Valley: Perspectives on Mental Health

Abstract

Minimal studies have been conducted on the effects of traditional Latinx/Hispanic gender roles on the mental health of Latinx men. However, those conducted concluded that young adult males have the most negative attitude towards mental health treatment (Gonzales et al., 2005) and the endorsement of traditional male gender roles of machismo relate to negative cognitions and emotions (Nuñez et al., 2016). Therefore, to contribute to the need of Latinx mental health research, a survey was distributed to Hispanic/Latinx men ages 17 to 48 in the Central Valley to find if Hispanic/Latinx men have a negative attitude towards mental health treatment due to machismo and cultural gender norms factors. The results of the survey concluded heterosexual Hispanic/Latinx men between the ages of 17-26 did not have an overall negative attitude towards seeking mental health treatment, participants considered themselves masculine without it being influenced by their culture, and those in the 28-48 age bracket agreed that their culture influences their perception of gender norms while the 17-26 age bracket did not. An analysis for these findings and future research recommendations are provided to better assist the needs of Latinx male mental health research.Keywords: Latinx mental health, Machismo, negative cognitions, Hispanic men