The Contribution of Gender-Role Orientation to Psychological Distress Among Male African Asylum-Seekers in Israel

Abstract

We investigated the association between gender-role orientation and emotional distress among African male asylum-seekers in Israel. A convenience sample of 60 English-speaking asylum-seekers completed a measure of gender-roles, emotional distress, and posttraumatic stress (PTSD). Androgynous, feminine, and undifferentiated gender roles were most prevalent, while the presence of masculine gender-role was exceptionally low. Androgynous gender-role orientation, characterized by high levels of masculinity and femininity, was associated with lower emotional distress compared with feminine and undifferentiated gender-role orientations beyond the effects of sociodemographic variables and PTSD symptoms. Both instrumental and expressive traits may promote adaptive psychological functioning among African asylum-seeking men.