Masculinities and college men's depression: Recursive relationships
John L Oliffe
School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
Mary T Kelly
School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
Joy L Johnson
School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Joan L Bottorff
Faculty of Health and Social Development, University of British Columbia, Okanagan BC, Canada
Ross E Gray
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto ON, Canada
John S Ogrodniczuk
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
Paul M Galdas
School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
PP: 465 - 477
Abstract
Depression is a significant problem among college men. This qualitative study examines the interplay between masculinities and depression among Canadian-based college men who self-identified or were formally diagnosed with depression.
The resulting three themes - mind matters, stalled intimacy and lethargic discontent - reveal the recursive relationships between masculinities and depression whereby depression quashed men's aspirations for embodying masculine ideals, with depression potentially triggered by self-doubt and concerns about harbouring a faulty masculinity.
Key findings include participants' juxtaposing their private negative self-talk with attempts to pass as self-assured in public; anxieties about neediness and vulnerability negating their efforts to initiate or maintain an intimate relationship; and ruptured ideologies about a mind-body dualism whereby severe depression negatively impacted physical wellbeing.
Keywords
masculinities; college men; depression; sociology
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