The men’s wellbeing project: promoting the well-being and mental health of men

The socio-ecological determinants of help-seeking practices and healthcare access among young men: a systematic review

Delayed engagement with health services is a key contributor to poorer health outcomes experienced by men. Patterns of health service usage which reduce the opportunity for disease prevention and health promotion appear to be especially prominent amongst young men. To identify the multiple and intersecting determinants of young men's help-seeking practices and health services usage, this review uses the social ecological model (SEM) to guide a critical synthesis of the literature on barriers and facilitators experienced by young men in accessing health services. A systematic review was conducted across five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Scopus). Included studies presented primary data regarding young men's (12-24 years) barriers and/or facilitators to seeking and accessing health care. Thirty-one studies (24 qualitative and 7 quantitative) underwent data extraction, quality appraisal and thematic analysis under the guiding framework of the SEM. Seven key themes were constructed, encapsulating the perceived barriers and facilitators to help-seeking and accessing health care experienced by young men, including masculine attitudes, health literacy, social pressure, service accessibility, economic factors, service characteristics and cultural attitudes. These findings highlight the complex interplay between the individual, interpersonal, organizational and societal factors impacting young men's healthcare engagement. They also illuminate avenues for multifaceted, context-specific interventions to enhance healthcare accessibility for this group, including addressing health literacy gaps, providing culturally sensitive care and reducing cost barriers.

Exploring the use of social network interventions for adults with mental health difficulties: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

People with mental health difficulties often experience social isolation. The importance of interventions to enhance social networks and reduce this isolation is increasingly being recognised. However, the literature has not yet been systematically reviewed with regards to how these are best used. This narrative synthesis aimed to investigate the role of social network interventions for people with mental health difficulties and identify barriers and facilitators to effective delivery. This was undertaken with a view to understanding how social network interventions might work best in the mental health field.

METHODS

Systematic searches using combinations of synonyms for mental health difficulties and social network interventions were undertaken across 7 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science) and 2 grey literature databases (EThoS and OpenGrey) from their inception to October 2021. We included studies reporting primary qualitative and quantitative data from all study types relating to the use of social network interventions for people with mental health difficulties. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data were extracted and synthesised narratively.

RESULTS

The review included 54 studies, reporting data from 6,249 participants. Social network interventions were generally beneficial for people with mental health difficulties but heterogeneity in intervention type, implementation and evaluation made it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Interventions worked best when they (1) were personalised to individual needs, interests and health, (2) were delivered outside formal health services and (3) provided the opportunity to engage in authentic valued activities. Several barriers to access were identified which, without careful consideration could exacerbate existing health inequalities. Further research is required to fully understand condition-specific barriers which may limit access to, and efficacy of, interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies for improving social networks for people with mental health difficulties should focus on supporting engagement with personalised and supported social activities outside of formal mental health services. To optimise access and uptake, accessibility barriers should be carefully considered within implementation contexts and equality, diversity and inclusion should be prioritised in intervention design, delivery and evaluation and in future research.

Sport Participation and Subjective Outcomes of Health in Middle-Aged Men: A Scoping Review

Although sport participation is intrinsically motivating and improves the physical health of middle-aged men, its influence on subjective health measures, such as health-related quality of life, self-rated health, or well-being is unclear. The purpose of this scoping review was to describe the existing literature that has assessed male sport participants and their subjective health. MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycInfo, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched, and reference lists of included studies were pearled. Included were original peer-reviewed studies reporting a marker of subjective health in males, 35 to 54 years (average), who participated in sport. The search identified 21 eligible articles, 18 quantitative, 2 mixed-methods, and 1 qualitative, from 13 different countries. Eighteen studies were cross-sectional. A broad range of outcomes were assessed, with the most common being quality of life/health-related quality of life (n = 6) and self-rated health (n = 6). Most studies assessing quality of life, health-related quality of life, or self-rated health demonstrated a positive association with sport participation, while sport participation was not related to measures of life satisfaction, flourishing, happiness or global well-being; however, limited studies examined these latter outcomes. Sport participation appears to be related to better select subjective health outcomes in middle-aged men. However, most available data are cross-sectional and thus causation cannot be determined. Randomized intervention trials are required to determine whether sport participation improves the subjective health of middle-aged men.

Open Science Framework registration:https://osf.io/zypds