Impact of Men's Sheds on the health and wellbeing of the men involved : a biopsychosocial study

The Australian Government has made a commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Australians and reducing health inequalities across the population. As part of this work, a stronger understanding of the crucial role of social determinants in influencing health and wellbeing outcomes for both men and women has been gained. In recent years there has been increasing awareness and concern regarding the burden of illness experienced by men hence at both Commonwealth and State levels, men’s health policies and strategies have been developed to address the major health issues faced by men. Men’s Sheds are of particular interest and, in recent years, an increasing number of men have become involved in them for social inclusion. Men’s Sheds are community-based, non-profit and non-commercial organisation whose primary function is the provision of a safe and friendly environment where men are able to work on meaningful projects at their own pace in their own time in the company of other men. However, the impact of participating in Men’s Sheds on the health and wellbeing of the men involved remains under-acknowledged, under-researched and mostly unintegrated with the health system. This mixed methods study provided an opportunity to explore and document the impact of social inclusion provided by Men’s Sheds on the health and wellbeing of the men involved. The qualitative study aimed to explore and interpret the lived experience of 15 men involved in Men’s Sheds. The philosophical hermeneutics of Gadamer (2004) and the ideas of van Manen (2001) underpinned this study. The meaning and understanding of the everyday experience of men involved in Men’s Sheds was sought through interpretation of the participants’ stories. Data were generated using in-depth interviews audio-recorded from participants. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed, then interpreted using phenomenological methods. The two themes to emerge from the participants’ experiences are: Being-valued-in-an-everyday-world and Being able to recover readily from life’s adversities. The theme of Being-valued-in-an-everyday-world arose from the sub-themes of the awareness of self and Being valued and appreciated. The theme Being able to recover readily from life’s adversities was drawn from the two sub-themes of reaping the benefit of the factors of the environment and Being resilient. The findings of this qualitative study provide insight into the experiences of men involved in Men’s Sheds. It is hoped that this interpretation will make a significant contribution to the advancement of men’s health by having health professionals consider how Men’s Sheds provide vital psychosocial resistance resources for the men at risk of developing many chronic noncommunicable diseases. It is not intended as a prescription therapy for all men but draws the reader to reflect on aspects of the Men’s Sheds in providing social support and how this may impact on individuals’ experience when faced with stressful situations. The limited scope of this qualitative study and the dearth of available research in this area suggest that much more research needs to be undertaken. This thesis makes a contribution to the development of mixed methods research in the field of men’s health and, indeed, in the area of health research in general, by providing an example of how qualitative and quantitative approaches can be integrated to investigate a research question. Specifically, it exposes the false dichotomy between “qualitative” and “quantitative” approaches by showing that the complexity of the human reality and including perhaps, especially, the study of health is enriched by combining the two approaches. This thesis advocates that clinicians and men’s health practitioners learn to utilize and to appreciate both qualitative and quantitative research. In so doing, they will develop into pragmatic researchers who understand the complexity of many different factors that influence health