Mud huts, haircuts and High School dropouts: The 3rd Annual Male Psychology Conference, University College London, June 2016.

This Special Issue of NMS comprises selected papers from the The 3rd Annual Male Psychology Conference, held at the University College London in June 2016, titled MUD HUTS, HAIRCUTS AND HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS. The Issue has been kindly co-ordinated and edited by Professor John Barry of the Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences at the University College London, in the UK. The material included gives a sense of the exciting and eclectic mix of topics that is male psychology today

Job satisfaction, relationship, stability, and valuing one's health are the strongest predictors of men's mental well-being

In recent years, psychologists have applied some of the ideas from positive psychology to the study of masculinity to discover what factors contribute to men’s mental health. This line of research acts as a counterbalance to other research which focuses mainly on problems related to masculinity. This paper describes two surveys – one of 2,000 men in the UK in 2017, and another of 5,000 men in the US in 2018 – which assessed core values and well-being. The main outcome measured was mental well-being, using the Positive Mindset Index (PMI). The surveys were conducted online and were analysed using multiple linear regression. Both surveys found that men typically aspire to moral values such as honesty and reliability more than physical values such as fitness and being athletic. In both surveys, taking other variables into account, the strongest predictor by far of mental positivity was job satisfaction (β = 0.49, p < .0000000001 in the UK, and β = 0.35, p <. 01–85 in the US). Relationship stability was the second strongest predictor of PMI in the UK (β = 0.12, p < .000000001) and marriage was the fifth strongest predictor in the US (β = 0.07, p < .0005). Valuing one’s health was another strong predictor of PMI in both surveys (β = 0.12, p < .000006 in the UK, and β = 0.17, p <.029 in the US). Findings are discussed concerning our understanding of men’s mental health needs. The contrast to the fashionably negative view of masculinity in the media and social sciences is noted

Is having a haircut good for your mental health?

BACKGROUND: In general, men seek psychological help less than women do, and black men are less likely to seek psychological help than white men. It could be that men find wellbeing benefits in other activities. Barbershops have a reputation amongst the black community as enjoyable places to socialize and bond, therefore the aim of this study was to find out whether black men get wellbeing benefits from going to the barbershop. METHODS: Cross-sectional online survey; 149 white and 53 black participants completed the questionnaires. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that, controlling for age, black men socialised and talked at the hairstylist significantly more than white men or black or white women (p <.01). Conclusions: These are the first empirical findings that black men might find wellbeing benefits from a visit to the barber. Implications for health promotion are discussed

The developmental and initial validation of the Wellbeing Benefits of Everyday Activities Scale (WBEAS) and the Hairstylist Visit Questionnaire (HVQ): A short report

BACKGROUND: In general, men seek psychological help less than women do. It could be that men find mental health benefits in other, more everyday, activities e.g. talking with their barber. This study aimed to develop questionnaires to measure the psychological benefits of (a) everyday activities of various kinds, and (b) visiting a hairstylist. METHODS: Cross-sectional online survey. 242 adults completed the questionnaires. Responses were analysed using standard questionnaire development methodology. RESULTS: The two questionnaires showed good psychometric properties in terms of good factor structure, internal reliability and construct validity. Conclusions: The two new questionnaires have been successfully applied to an online sample (see Roper & Barry, 2016). The WBEAS may prove useful in the assessment of various everyday activities such as Men’s Sheds

The Male Gender Empathy Gap: Time for psychology to take action.

Gender is not just an equality issue, but a diversity issue. Although differences are celebrated in every other field, in the social sciences, gender differences are denied or played down. We aren’t supposed to generalize about gender, because – in general – men and women are the same, supposedly. However as human beings, most people intuitively recognise that although men and women share many similarities, we are different in important ways

Visual-spatial cognition in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: the role of androgens

STUDY QUESTION: Are women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) better at three-dimensional mental rotation than other women? SUMMARY ANSWER: Women with PCOS scored significantly higher on a mental rotation task than a female control group. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: PCOS is a condition characterized by elevated testosterone levels. Some researches have found that three-dimensional mental rotation task performance is positively correlated with testosterone levels. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2006 and January 2009. The participants were 69 women with PCOS and 41 controls recruited from five gynaecology clinics in London. The control group consisted of non-PCOS women of comparable subfertility to PCOS group. These groups sizes gave roughly 80% power to detect moderate effect sizes for the main statistical test. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Participants were recruited at London gynaecology clinics. The women were aged between 18 and 43. PCOS was diagnosed based on the Rotterdam criteria. Controls were women who experienced some degree of subfertility. Blood samples from participants were frozen for up to 4 months until being assayed by direct electrochemiluminescence. The mental rotation task was undertaken electronically. Some questionnaires and other tasks were completed as control measures. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Women with PCOS scored significantly higher than controls: median (range) 3.00 (0-9) and 2.00 (0-8), respectively (U = 1147.500, N1 = 69, N2 = 41, P < 0.047). Within the PCOS group, circulating levels of testosterone were significantly positively correlated with three-dimensional scoring (rs = 0.376, n = 56, P < 0.002), whereas estradiol was significantly negatively correlated with three-dimensional scoring (rs = -0.473, n = 29, P < 0.010). In the control group, the relationship between sex hormones and mental rotation was non-significant. Other factors, including general intelligence and social class, did not account for these findings. A subgroup analysis comparing hyperandrogenic PCOS cases, non-hyperandrogenic PCOS cases and controls, in which age and body mass index were controlled for using ANCOVA, found a non-significant difference in three-dimensional scoring between the three groups (F = 1.062, d.f. = 1, 73, P < 0.351). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The small number of women in the control group meant that correlations were underpowered in this group. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This study is the first to find a benefit of PCOS in visuospatial cognition, and the first to find a link between visuospatial cognition and sex hormones in PCOS. The fact that the correlations went in the opposite direction in the PCOS group compared with the controls might suggest the influence of increased prenatal exposure to androgen in PCOS. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The assays for this study were funded by the Department of Psychology, City University London. All authors report no conflicts of interest

How Much Do Job Satisfaction and Relationship Quality Predict Intention to Engage in Health Behaviours in Men and Women? A Pilot Study

This study aimed to assess the degree to which problems with job satisfaction and relationship quality predict problem drinking and the intention to engage in healthy behaviours. This cross-sectional online survey was analysed using multiple linear regression. 312 men and women participated in the survey. The only significant predictor of problem drinking was neuroticism (emotionality), and this was significant for women only (β = 0.26, p <.05). The most significant predictor of intention to engage in healthy behaviours for women was feeling good about health behaviours (β = 0.36, p <.001), and for men it was greater satisfaction with the clarity of organisational communication (β = 0.42, p <.001). Some intriguing gender differences were found, for example, women who were dissatisfied with pay seemed to compensate by intending to engage more in health behaviours (β = 0.36, p <.05), whereas men who were dissatisfied with pay were less likely to intend to engage in health behaviours (β = -0.34, p <.01). These findings are of importance in understanding how workplace factors predict intention to engage in health behaviours in men and women. Further research should explore the reasons for these interesting gender differences