Perspectives Of Men Research Articles

Sex is never the same: Men's perspectives on refusing circumcision from an in-depth qualitative study in Kwaluseni, Swaziland

Faced with an HIV prevalence of 31% among 18- to 49-year-olds, Swaziland developed a male circumcision policy in 2009, following compelling scientific evidence from three randomised controlled trials. Utilising United States Agency for International Development funds, the state set out to circumcise 80% of adult men in 2011. Only 8667 of the targeted 150,000 men were circumcised during the campaign. This paper presents findings from a 2012 to 2013 in-depth qualitative study among Swazi men. Methods included 13 focus group discussions, 20 in-depth interviews, 16 informal interviews and participant observation. We argue that the campaign's failure can be partly explained by the fact that circumcision was perceived as a threat to Swazi masculinities, a factor hardly considered in the planning of the intervention. Results show that men believed circumcision resulted in reduced penis sensitivity, reduced sexual pleasure and adverse events such as possible mistakes during surgery and post-operative complications that could have negative effects on their sexual lives. Given the conflicting state of scientific data about the effects of circumcision on sexuality or sexual pleasure, this study addresses important lacunae, while also demonstrating the need for more research into the relationship between sexuality, masculinity and health interventions seeking to involve men.

Latino men's qualitative perspectives on a lay health advisor intervention to promote their sexual health.

Lay health advisor (LHA) approaches are a promising strategy to reduce health disparities among communities considered 'hard to reach' by researchers and practitioners. LHAs have addressed a variety of health issues, but limited studies have included men as LHAs. The purpose of this study was to better understand the roles of male LHAs and their male-helping relationships. We used an inductive approach to explore Latino men's perspectives on serving as LHAs for other Latino men and Latino men's views on receiving sexual health information from a male LHA. We collected qualitative data in 2009 and 2010 as part of an LHA intervention designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection among immigrant Latinos through the social networks of soccer teams. We analysed and interpreted data from 30 in-depth interviews with Latino men who served as LHAs and their social networks in North Carolina, USA. Participants shared perceptions on social network importance for immigrant Latinos, facilitators and challenges of helping other men, recommendations for intervention modification and suggestions for future work involving the Latino community. Findings revealed that Latino men are receptive to fulfilling the roles of health advisors and opinion leaders, and can effectively serve as LHAs. Social network members valued the social support they received. Working through sports teams and identifying existing leaders to be LHAs may be a culturally congruent approach to meeting Latino community needs. More research is needed on the potential of male LHAs to address other health issues.

Modifying the Body: Canadian Men's Perspectives on Appearance and Cosmetic Surgery

In postmodern scholarship there has been a temporal shift to thinking of the body as malleable rather than fixed, which has opened space for the remaking of the self via the remaking of the body (Featherstone, 1991; Giddens, 1991). Among men, this process is thought to interact with shifting understandings of masculinity. In this study, 14 interviews were conducted to investigate experiences of masculinity, physical appearance and cosmetic surgery among Canadian men who had undergone or were contemplating cosmetic surgery. Responses suggest that bodily presentations and experiences of masculinity continue to influence how people feel about themselves and their perspective toward cosmetic surgery. Findings are discussed in relation to contemporary constructions of masculinity, body, and identity.

African and Afro-Caribbean men's experiences of prostate cancer

It is well documented that prostate cancer presents a significant health problem for middle-aged and elderly men in the UK, with further evidence suggesting that the disease is more prevalent in men of African and Afro-Caribbean (AAC) ethnicity. There is also evidence that these men are diagnosed much later and that the disease is more aggressive than in Caucasian men. To explore AAC men's experiences of prostate cancer and their understanding of its associated risks. The purpose was to gain an insight from these men's perspectives and ascertain whether a more focused health promotion strategy, and specific UK-based research, was needed in this area. A purposive sample of seven AAC men was recruited from a hospital trust's patient list after gaining approval from a research ethics committee. In-depth face-to-face interviews were carried out and the transcripts analysed thematically. The four main themes that emerged were: disease-prompted awareness, checking up as a necessary evil, defining and constructing factors influencing prostate cancer screening uptake, and appraising perceived myths about prostate cancer through personal beliefs. Among this group of AAC men, socioeconomic status, such as education and professional background, were factors that influenced their level of awareness of prostate cancer and prompted their decisions to seek help. However, it is evident from these men's perspectives that a more specific health education strategy that promotes early detection and management, targeting AAC men, would help in demystifying prostate cancer and encourage them to seek help earlier. Further research studies and health education in prominent social outlets are recommended in increasing AAC men's awareness of prostate cancer and its associated risks.

Adult men's beliefs, values, attitudes and experiences regarding contraceptives: a systematic review of qualitative studies

To explore the men's beliefs, values, attitudes and experiences towards contraceptives. The promotion of male participation in contraceptive practices requires the knowledge and consideration of the beliefs, values, attitudes and experiences involved. The systematic review of the literature focusing on these themes can be useful for the evidence-based health care. A systematic review of qualitative studies. Studies published between 1994 until 2011 (inclusive) were included. The participants included men from all cultures, ethnic backgrounds and religions who have expressed their beliefs, values, attitudes and experiences regarding male contraceptives. The databases CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, SciELO, LILACS and MedCarib were explored. The appraisal of primary studies, carried out through the JBI-QARI (Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument) resulted in the inclusion of 16 studies in this systematic review. The set of statements of beliefs, values, attitudes and experiences regarding contraceptives resulted in five synthesis: (1) contraceptive behaviour is influenced by religious, family and social backgrounds; (2) gendered, male-centred values predominate in contraceptive behaviours; (3) the sense of invulnerability influences contraceptive behaviours; (4) strong obstacles should be overcome to use contraceptives; (5) behaviours, decision-making and experiences regarding male contraceptives. The male beliefs and values regarding contraceptives are strongly influenced by religious, family and social backgrounds, and their attitudes in this scope are male centred. A deeper male consciousness regarding contraceptive responsibility should be promoted. It requires the knowledge of the men's personal backgrounds regarding contraceptives because they can be diverse according to family, social and cultural contexts. The consideration of the men's personal perspective is essential in the planning and implementation of reproductive health care. These aspects are essential for the concretisation of the evidence-based health care, a current challenge worldwide.

Barriers and Resources to PMTCT of HIV: Luba-Kasai Men's Perspective in Lusaka, Zambia

The purpose of this study was to describe the views of Luba-Kasai (a Congolese tribe) men on barriers inhibiting them from the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and the resources they need to implement such prevention in Lusaka, Zambia. Twenty-one men were interviewed and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The barriers identified in the data were poverty, refugee status, absence of support arrangements, and the working culture in antenatal care, passivity, ignorance, marital disharmony, HIV-related stigma, and cultural characteristics, such as ways of being a man and religious beliefs. The resources were spiritual outlook on life, knowledge of HIV issues, support and availability of advanced health services, and satisfaction of basic needs. Improving male participation in PMTCT in this subpopulation presupposes cooperation between different sectors of society and inspiring trust in antenatal care.

Back and forth with hopes and fears: Sri Lankan men's narratives on gender and mobility in transnational livelihoods

Although in the past Sri Lanka has had a higher number of women migrant workers, recent statistics show that the gap between the percentages of female and male migrants is decreasing. Since 2007, male migrants have outnumbered female migrants. The article explores how Sri Lankan men have responded to the increased economic needs of their families and lack of proper income-generating activities within the country by engaging in transnational livelihoods, as well as how their roles and identities are contested and negotiated through labour migration. The study is based on men's narratives on their reasons for migration and their experiences of transnational labour migration. The concepts of hope and life course are used to analyse the intertwined relationships of gender and mobility in transnational livelihoods. The author identifies that men's mobility is motivated by their hopes of fulfilling traditional gender norms as providers and protectors of their families in combination with their new identity as successful men. Further, the study provides evidence that men's mobility is not only gendered but also a repeated act during their life course. The study contributes to strengthen research on mobility and gender by adding men's perspectives on transnational labour migration.

Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Services: Young Men's Perspectives

This study aimed to identify health issues that affect young men and the barriers they experience in accessing care. Participants were 48 minority men 18–28 years old, distributed among 9 focus groups. Four main themes emerged in the study. First, the authors identified sexually transmitted infections, mental health problems, and drug use as major health issues. Second, participants identified attitudinal and institutional barriers to accessing care. This included denial; fear; embarrassment; perception that it is not considered manly to seek help; cost; and accessibility. Third, focus group participants felt that services have to be augmented in order to address the specific needs of men. Last, participants suggested strategies to attract men to family planning clinics that are consistent with a youth culture. Focus groups are effective in obtaining input in order to augment services for men.

Imagining Fatherhood: Young Australian Men's Perspectives on Fathering

Cultural norms that view men as peripheral to family life and to decision-making about parenthood have shaped mainstream research agendas and underlie the relative lack of research on men’s perspectives on fatherhood. This semi-structured interview study explored the subjective meaning of having children and being a father in the imagined future lives of 16 male university students in Australia. The men generally had well-considered preferences, attitudes and aspirations about fatherhood and shared them readily and articulately, challenging persisting gender stereotypes. We identified four themes in their talk. Fulfilment and contentment dealt with positively looking forward to an adult life encompassing satisfying work, marriage, and children. Traditional and new fatherhood described talk that simultaneously valued a traditional ‘breadwinner’ role and close, involved fatherhood, and generally failed to address the inherent contradictions in managing these two models of fatherhood. Time of preparation encompassed talk about the perceived necessity of finishing education, establishing a stable, financially rewarding career, and developing personal maturity as preconditions to fatherhood. Models of family and fatherhood referred to the men’s frequent reference to their own families as models that they wished to replicate or, at times, correct in their own fatherhood. Altogether, this study provides a justification for systematic and comprehensive research on men’s perspectives, preferences and attitudes regarding fatherhood and family.

A man's guide to a nursing career

Preface Foreword Section I: Why Men? Why Nursing? Why Now? Chapter 1: What Can Nursing Bring to You? Chapter 2: Men in Nursing---It's NOT Something New! Chapter 3: Does Nursing Put Out the Welcome Mat to Men? Section II: Making It Happen Chapter 4: Where Is the Start Line? Chapter 5: How to Avoid Getting Voted off the Island: How to Survive Nursing School Chapter 6: That's a Baby, Not a Football! Caring and Touch from a Man's Perspective Section III: The Eagle Has Landed! Working as a Registered Nurse Chapter 7: Landing Your First Job Chapter 8: Fitting In: Do I Really Have to Talk About Baby Showers? Chapter 9: Getting Ahead Without Stepping on Toes: Professional Development and Leadership Afterword

Boys' and young men's perspectives on violence in Northern Tanzania

The challenge of violence for youth in low-income countries includes a range of experiences from witnessing, to experiencing, to participating in violence. Although boys and young men are often the perpetrators of such violence, they may also be its victims. Yet little evidence exists from the voiced experiences of boys themselves on perceptions and interpretations of the violence around them. Given the numerous negative health implications of violence for boys, for the girls and other boys with whom they interact, and for the health of their future partners and families, we conducted an in-depth study in rural and urban Tanzania with adolescent boys on the masculinity norms shaping their transitions through puberty that might be contributing to high-risk behaviours, including engagement in violence. The findings identified underlying societal gendered norms influencing the enactment of violence, and recommendations from the boys on how to diminish the violence around them. Additional research is needed with boys on the social norms and structural factors influencing their engagement in violence.

Men's perspectives on participating in violence against women perpetration research

abstract This Article presents findings of a qualitative study conducted in Soshanguve Township in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The qualitative study had two purposes, first it was to assess men's willingness to participate in violence against women perpetration studies and, secondly it explored the views and experiences of Black African men on participating in a study asking about their perpetration of violence against women. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 adult Black African men. Seven of the interviews were done before, and 11 after the data collection was completed for a larger quantitative gender-based violence survey. Overall, men expressed positive feelings about participating in the survey, and displayed a degree of openness in disclosing violence perpetration experiences. Breach of confidentiality was however viewed as a major risk by men, with many fearing potential negative consequences of talking about their perpetration of violence against women, giving rise to feelings of anxiety and discomfort after having done so. A particular sub-group of men reported strong emotional reactions and distress when asked about their violent behaviour. This distress was not long-lasting and not perceived as deleterious by these men. We argue that asking men about their violence perpetration experiences, in a research context, is acceptable to men, not emotionally harmful, and does not place them at an elevated risk of harm when research is done ethically. We conclude that violence perpetration studies with men should be done with strict adherence to ethics codes guiding the conduct of research on violence perpetration.

2. From the Young Men's Perspective: Preventing Sexually Transmitted Infection and Unintended Pregnancy

2. From the Young Men's Perspective: Preventing Sexually Transmitted Infection and Unintended Pregnancy

Gender, masculinities and lifelong learning

Section I: Concepts, Theories and Current Debates 1. Gender, masculinities and lifelong learning: entering the debate 2. Ideology, discourse and gender: a theoretical framework 3. Men and educational participation: is there a problem? Some findings from international surveys Section II: Changing Discourses and Images 4. 'Educating Jake': A genealogy of Maori masculinity 5. Images of men and learning: the impact of imperialism on settler masculinities and lifelong learning 6. Gender, masculinities and migrants' learning experiences 7. Men in United Kingdom adult and community education: the politics of practice and pedagogy Section III: Gender, Masculinities and learning in the Life Course 8. Troubling boys and boys-only classes as the solution to 'the problem of underachieving boys' 9. Learning about fatherhood for Men in 'at risk' Families 10. Men's sheds, community learning and public policy 11. Men's learning through community organisations: evidence from an Australian study 12. Older men's perspectives on (re-)entering post-compulsory education: insights from a Scottish study Section IV: Implications 13. Implications for practice, research and policy

Masculinities and patient perspectives of communication about active surveillance for prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study is to describe connections between masculinities and patient perspectives of active surveillance (AS) related communication with male physicians. An interpretive descriptive qualitative design was used to explore patient-physician communication from the perspectives of 25 men on AS. In-depth, semistructured interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded. Key concepts were described and a masculinities gender framework guided analyses of patients' perspectives. Patient-physician communication of diagnosis, treatment options, and specificities of AS featured prominently within participants' interviews. Most participants reported brevity in patient-physician communication amid accepting the physician's communication style and recommendations. Participants' accounts suggested "therapeutic" communications as contingent on positioning physicians as authoritative and assigning them control, while patients were stoic in accepting AS. However, some participants reported being confused about their diagnosis details and specific AS protocols, and resisted traditional physician-patient hierarchies, desiring more collaborative decision-making processes. In this regard communications emerged as "threat," in that participants lacked and/or lost confidence in their physician and were uncertain and anxious about the legitimacy of AS. These findings were interpreted within a gender framework, showing how patients drew on an array of masculine ideals, including stoicism, denying illness, and respecting expertise in different ways. Our novel findings illuminate complexities of men's perspectives about patient-physician communication in AS, and offer insights about how masculinities influence what can be understood as potentially helpful and unhelpful communication among this emergent patient population.

Inmate-to-Inmate: Socialization, Relationships, and Community Among Incarcerated Men

Author(s): Chong, Christine | Abstract: Prison's walls keep prisoners in, but in many ways, they simultaneously keep the public out. Although researchers have studied and investigated different aspects of prisons, an area with particularly little notice has been the interactions between and amongst incarcerated men. With all of the concerted efforts and discussions attempting to create more stable inmate communities, the importance of understanding the social relationships is critical and significant for policy makers and the general public. I focus on California's male prison institutions where, due to sentencing procedures and isolated geographical locations of prisons, men are often sent to prisons far from hometowns, making it particularly difficult for friends and family to visit. Given the difficulty accessing home community relationships, inmate-to-inmate relations often form the basis of social interaction during an individual's sentence, and the inmate community forms a significant aspect of the prison experience.In attempting to understand the social environment of inmates, the previous discourse has highlighted and emphasized negative occurrences to explain the community and the interactions of its members in its entirety. The mystery of this community by lack of research, combined with hyped news and misconstrued popular media portrayals, has led to suppositions and theories about the relational dynamics amongst incarcerated men that remain simplistic and shallow. In particular, accounts of gang organization and rapes in prison have received exceptional attention. While striking and noteworthy, these types of incidences have overpowered the literature on inmate-to-inmate relationships.In this thesis, social relations between incarcerated men are given context by recognizing effects of both the institutional structural setting and informal social organization, including oft left-out positive inmate interactions of non-violent, non-criminal relations. By examining inmate-to-inmate relationships from the incarcerated men's perspectives, utilizing documented verification, and placing violent actions into the institutional framework, understandings of inmate-to-inmate relationships are further developed for a truer comprehension of the community, and ultimately of the incarcerated individuals.

Leveraging changing gender norms to address concurrency: focus group findings from South African university students

Background This study aims to complement recent research on sexual concurrency in South Africa by providing a deeper understanding of women's roles and motivations for engaging in and accepting their partners' concurrency. Our goal is to inform the implementation of more effective interventions that embrace the powerful role that women can play in healthy sexual decision-making in consensual relationships. We conducted 12 focus groups with male and female students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Drawing on a subset of those focus groups, we examined the gender norms underpinning the apparently widespread acceptance of concurrent sexual partnerships. Our analysis focusses on women's attitudes and behaviours towards concurrency - from both men's and women's perspectives - with a goal of identifying opportunities to engage women as agents of change in sexual partnership patterns in their communities. Our findings indicate that: (1) concurrent sexual partnerships were the norm among male students and increasingly common among female students; (2) material gain and changes in women's perceptions of their roles and power in relationships were the primary female motives for concurrency; (3) peer pressure, a perceived innate need and a fear of being alone were the primary male motives for concurrency; (4) women often know that their partners are cheating and stay with them because they believe they are the most important partner, for financial reasons, or because they worry they will not find another partner. HIV prevention interventions in populations where concurrency is common would benefit from emphasising women's role and power in taking greater control of their own sexual decision-making in consensual and nonviolent relationships.

Beyond Men Behaving Badly: A Meta-Ethnography of Men's Perspectives on Psychological Distress and Help Seeking

Men’s hesitancy to seek help for psychological distress is demonstrated in the quantitative literature. Men’s perspectives and experiences need to be better understood to inform policy and practice. A meta-ethnography was conducted of 51 qualitative studies on men’s perspectives on psychological distress and help seeking. Findings indicate most participants’ conceptualizations of psychological distress are sociallybased and many have difficulty with the term “depression.” Men’s accounts show notions of masculinity negatively impacts mental health and acts as a barrier to help seeking. Challenging the common characterization of men, men reveal the impact of interpersonal factors on mental health. Gender is revealed as a determinant of health that interacts with economic security, ethnicity and sexuality. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Avatars and virtual worlds: Unsettling the rules of porn

abstract Since 1998, a multitude of virtual world “games” have come into existence, each one more technologically advanced than the last. Although many of these provide a fantasy scenario with pre-set roles and characters for participants, there are some which are completely unstructured and offer the participants the opportunity to create their own virtual physical environment, to fulfil whatever role they wish. Second Life is one such virtual world. Second Life has developed into a parallel virtual world which reflects our own physical world, including a sex industry with escort agencies, sexual-act applications on sale and live sex shows as well as the more ‘traditional’ forms of pornography (ie pornography in print, photographs or cinematographic film) being made available to participants for a virtual dollar fee. All activity and interaction in Second Life is conducted through an avatar which does not necessarily reflect the true appearance, gender or age of the participant who is sitting behind his or her computer screen somewhere in the physical world. This raises interesting questions not only from a legal perspective but also from a feminist perspective. The distance between the real world game participant and the avatar seems to have had a liberating influence on both women's and men's perspective on pornography - be it as consumers or producers of pornography. Does this new perspective challenge the anti-pornography and pro-pornography feminist arguments, and if so, to what extent? Have these virtual worlds finally breached the frontiers which, despite much feminist debate and activism, have continued to imprison sexuality within the confines of gender-defined perspectives?

African American Men's Perspectives on Promoting Physical Activity: “We're Not That Difficult to Figure Out!”

African American men report poorer health than do White men and have significantly greater odds for developing chronic diseases partly because of limited physical activity. Understanding how to encourage healthy behaviors among African American men will be critical in the development of effective physical activity messages and programs. Guided by principles of cultural sensitivity and social marketing, this research examined middle-aged and older African American men's recommended strategies for promoting physical activity to African American men of their age. The authors report results from 49 interviews conducted with middle-aged (45–64 years) and older (65–84 years) African American men in South Carolina. Four groups of African American men were recruited: middle-aged active men (n = 17), middle-aged inactive men (n = 12), older active men (n = 10), older inactive men (n = 10). Themes related to marketing and recruitment strategies, message content, and spokesperson characteristics emerged and differed by age and physical activity level. Recommended marketing strategies included word of mouth; use of mass media; partnering with churches, businesses, and fraternities; strategic placement of messages; culturally appropriate message framing; and careful attention to selection of program spokespersons. Findings will help in the marketing, design, implementation, and evaluation of culturally appropriate interventions to encourage physical activity among middle-aged and older African American men in the South.