A phenomenological study on the influence of Black masculinity and race on middle-aged Black men’s decision to seek mental health treatment
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Abstract
Historically, Black men have been taught to be stoic and that showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness. Statistically, Black men have a high prevalence of mental illness however are underutilizing mental health services compared to other ethnicities. Black men have poor engagement with mental health providers due to various social constructs. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the influence of Black masculinity and race on middleaged Black Men’s decision to seek mental health treatment. Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality Theory guided this phenomenological study. Purposive and snowballing sampling was used to recruit participants. The researcher used semi-structured interviews to explore the perceived barriers ten middled-aged Black men encountered when seeking mental health treatment. Braun and Clarke (2012) thematic analysis resulted in six themes: Attitudes Towards Mental Health Treatment and Experiences, Too Strong to Be Weak, Impact of Policing Black Men, Lack of Access, Stigma, and Cost. Findings indicated that lack of access, stigma, cost, Black masculinity, negative interactions with police, negative interactions with mental health professionals and lack of Black mental therapists were barriers to middle-aged Black men in seeking mental health treatment. Implications and recommendations are provided for future research to improve engagement of Black men in seeking mental health treatment.