Next Gen Mentors: January Recap

 

This session uncovered how cultural narratives of masculinity can lead to relational disconnection, emotional illiteracy, increased risk and decreased help-seeking behaviours as boys grow up—and what educators can do to make a difference. How can mental health supports in schools more effectively reach masculine-identifying students?

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Key Themes

Boys’ Mental Health

The consensus in research is that traditional male gender norms lead to increased disconnection and decreased willingness to ask for help with mental health struggles among boys and men. While there is more to unpack (i.e. the rates of suicide attempts versus the lethality of those attempts between genders, the rates of suicidality among those who don’t fit Statistics Canada’s binary of male/female, etc.), overall the data shows that boys and men die by suicide at three or four times the rate of girls and women. That is not disconnected from the pressures boys face to be strong, tough and ‘be a man.’

If this caught your interest…

Positive Psychology/Positive Masculinity

Researchers have suggested using strengths-based methods to validate and affirm the healthy and positive elements of masculinity—building in boys what is right, rather than fixing what is wrong. The thing is, this has to happen alongside an expansion of how we think about manhood, otherwise we risk perpetuating the stereotypes.

If this caught your interest…

Peer Relationships

One of the obvious responses to a culture in which mental health, emotional expression and vulnerability are stigmatized is…to challenge that culture itself. This is valuable; however, it needs to be done alongside helping boys identify and maintain close, supportive friendships. Adolescent boys’ peer relationships often fall within a gap of mental health promotion, and they shouldn’t.

If this caught your interest: 

 
Jonathon Reed