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Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2024
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| _version_ | 1867614096415784960 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Bam, Connor |
| author2 | Naidoo, Anthony Vernon |
| author_browse | Bam, Connor Naidoo, Anthony Vernon |
| author_facet | Naidoo, Anthony Vernon Bam, Connor |
| author_sort | Bam, Connor |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130527 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:36.532Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130527 Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape Bam, Connor Naidoo, Anthony Vernon Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology. Masculinity Adolescent psychology Help-seeking behavior Culture -- Psychological aspects Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research has shown that masculinities are socially and culturally constructed. How one particular social group constructs what it means to be a man varies depending on changing cultural values and beliefs. By unpacking how individuals understand their own masculinity as well as the masculinity of those around them, more can be learned about these cultural values and beliefs. This is important as these beliefs and norms that are tied to masculine identity can influence behaviour. There is considerable evidence finding that strict adherence to masculine norms results in limited help-seeking behaviour and poorer mental health outcomes. There is limited research in the South African context regarding young adolescent men’s mental health and help-seeking behaviours. Adolescence is a formative development period as this is when internalised masculine norms become entrenched within their masculine identity and can have long term impacts on their behaviour. By exploring personal constructions and understandings of masculinity by adolescent males, more can be learnt about the masculine norms that are endorsed and internalised by young men within the geographical location of the Stellenbosch district. The extent to which these norms influence help-seeking behaviour will allow for the identification of social norms that have a detrimental impact on health behaviours and can be targeted in future interventions. This qualitative study adopted a constructivist approach to meaning making, framing the research question, analysing the data, and reporting the research findings. A combined grounded theory and narrative inquiry methodology and case study design were used. The combined grounded theory and narrative inquiry approach worked well given the research aims of making sense of the participants’ personal understandings of masculinity, while still respecting their unique story and situation. The case study design was necessary given the sample size of the study. Qualitative data that were collected from individual interviews and a focus group were transcribed analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phase framework for conducting a thematic analysis. Data from the individual interviews were presented separately from the data from the focus groups, as the focus group data was used to back up and validate the themes identified during the individual interviews. Findings indicated that traditional masculine gender norms associated with hegemonic masculinity were present and endorsed within this sample of young men. The participants stated that these masculine norms manifested as expectations on themselves, and they felt a great deal of pressure to meet these expectations. This pressure to maintain what they perceived as the norm for men would influence behaviour. For instance, practicing stoicism, crying in private, and emphasising emotional control were all behaviours undertaken by the participants so as to not jeopardise their status as a man. Help-seeking behaviour was viewed as a gendered behaviour, being seen as feminine. Other factors, such as perceived financial inaccessibility of therapy and lack of mental health knowledge were identified as playing a role in limited help-seeking behaviour. This research serves as a good snapshot of the masculine norms that are endorsed by young men in the Stellenbosch district, as well as how these masculine norms influence help-seeking behaviour. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing het getoon dat manlikheid ‘n sosiale en kulturele konstruk is. Hoe een spesifieke sosiale groep konstrueer wat dit beteken om 'n man te wees, wissel na gelang van veranderende kulturele waardes en oortuigings. Deur insig te bekom oor hoe individue hul eie manlikheid sowel as die manlikheid van diegene rondom hulle verstaan, kan meer lig werp oor hierdie kulturele waardes en oortuigings. Dit is belangrik aangesien hierdie oortuigings en norme wat aan manlike identiteit gekoppel is, gedrag kan beïnvloed. Daar is heelwat bewyse wat bevind dat streng nakoming van manlike norme tot beperkte hulpsoekende gedrag en swakker geestesgesondheid uitkomste lei. Daar is beperkte navorsing in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks aangaande jong adolessente mans se geestesgesondheid en hulpsoekende gedrag. Adolessensie is 'n formatiewe ontwikkelings fase aangesien dit is wanneer geïnternaliseerde manlike norme in hul manlike identiteit verskans word, wat dan langtermyn impakte op hul gedrag kan hê. Deur persoonlike konstruksies en begrip van manlikheid deur adolessente mans te ondersoek, kan meer geleer word oor die manlike norme wat onderskryf en geïnternaliseer word deur jong mans binne die geografiese ligging van die Stellenbosch-distrik. Die mate waarin hierdie norme hulpsoekende gedrag beïnvloed, sal voorsiening maak vir die identifisering van sosiale norme wat 'n nadelige impak op gesondheidsgedrag het en in toekomstige intervensies geteiken kan word. Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie het 'n konstruktivistiese benadering tot betekenisgewing, die raamwerk van die navorsingsvraag, die ontleding van die data en die rapportering van die navorsingsbevindinge aangeneem. ’n Gekombineerde gegronde teorie en narratiewe ondersoekmetodologie en gevallestudie-ontwerp is gebruik. Die gekombineerde gegronde teorie en narratiewe ondersoekbenadering het goed gewerk gegewe die navorsingsdoelwitte om sin te maak uit die deelnemers se persoonlike begrip van manlikheid, terwyl hulle unieke storie en situasie steeds gerespekteer is. Die gevallestudie-ontwerp was nodig gegewe die steekproefgrootte van die studie. Kwalitatiewe data wat uit individuele onderhoude en 'n fokusgroep ingesamel is, is getranskribeer en geanaliseer met behulp van Braun en Clarke (2006) se ses fase raamwerk vir die uitvoer van 'n tematiese analise. Data van die individuele onderhoude is apart van die data van die fokusgroepe aangebied, aangesien die fokusgroep data gebruik is om die temas wat tydens die individuele onderhoude geïdentifiseer is, te rugsteun en bekragtig. Bevindinge het aangedui dat tradisionele manlike geslagsnorme wat met hegemoniese manlikheid geassosieer word, teenwoordig en onderskryf is binne hierdie steekproef van jong mans. Die deelnemers het gesê dat hierdie manlike norme as verwagtinge op hulself gemanifesteer het, en hulle het groot druk gevoel om aan hierdie verwagtinge te voldoen. Hierdie druk om te handhaaf wat hulle as die norm vir mans beskou het, het wel ‘n invloed op gedrag. Byvoorbeeld, die beoefening van stoïsisme, huil in privaatheid en die klem op emosionele beheer was alles gedrag wat deur die deelnemers aangeneem is om nie hul status as 'n man in gevaar te stel nie. Hulpsoekende gedrag is gesien as geslags gebaseerde gedrag wat as vroulik beskou word. Ander faktore, soos vermeende finansiële ontoeganklikheid van terapie en gebrek aan geestesgesondheidskennis, is geïdentifiseer as rolspelers in beperkte hulpsoekende gedrag. Hierdie navorsing dien as 'n goeie momentopname van die manlike norme wat deur jong mans in die Stellenbosch-distrik onderskryf word, asook hoe hierdie manlike norme hulpsoekende gedrag beïnvloed. Masters 2024-03-01T16:33:27Z 2024-04-26T20:51:23Z 2024-03-01T16:33:27Z 2024-04-26T20:51:23Z 2024-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130527 en_ZA en_ZA Stellenbosch University xiii, 126 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Masculinity Adolescent psychology Help-seeking behavior Culture -- Psychological aspects Bam, Connor Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape |
| title | Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape |
| title_full | Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape |
| title_fullStr | Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape |
| title_full_unstemmed | Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape |
| title_short | Male adolescent masculinity and help-seeking behaviour: a qualitative study in Stellenbosch, Western Cape |
| title_sort | male adolescent masculinity and help seeking behaviour a qualitative study in stellenbosch western cape |
| topic | Masculinity Adolescent psychology Help-seeking behavior Culture -- Psychological aspects |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130527 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bamconnor maleadolescentmasculinityandhelpseekingbehaviouraqualitativestudyinstellenboschwesterncape |