The Effect of Gender Role and Males\u27 Attitudes Toward Receiving Mental Health Therapy

The purpose of this research study was to build upon previous research pertaining to gender role and young adult male attitudes towards receiving mental health therapy. An additional purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between media exposure and attitude toward mental health therapy. The first hypothesis was that there would be a positive correlation between gender role scores and attitudes with the BEM Sex- Role Inventory (BSRI) and with scores on attitudes with the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) in young adult males. The second hypothesis was that young adult males who watched a video of a cognitive therapy session would have a positive attitude towards seeking mental health treatment as predicted by Buckley and Malouff s (2005) research study. The participants included 46 young adult males. All participants were students enrolled in undergraduate courses at a university in West Texas. The findings showed there was no statistically significant relationship between gender roles and attitudes among young adult males. There was an unexpected finding in the control group; participants who scored high on the masculinity trait as measured by the BSRI survey scored low on the stigma tolerance factor as measured by the ATSPPHS survey