Citation

Himmelstein MS, Sanchez DT. J. Health Psychol. 2014; 21(7): 1283-1292.

Affiliation

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1359105314551623

PMID

25293967

Abstract

Gender beliefs contribute to men's healthcare avoidance, but little research examines these outcomes in women. This article models healthcare avoidance related to masculine contingencies of self-worth in men and women. Nested path modelling tested relationships between social role beliefs, masculine contingencies of self-worth, barriers to help seeking and avoidance of health care in university and non-university-student adult samples.

RESULTS indicated social role beliefs predicted masculine contingencies of self-worth in men but not in women. Regardless of gender, masculine contingencies of self-worth predicted barriers to help seeking, which predicted healthcare avoidance in both men and women. Thus, masculine contingencies of self-worth have downstream consequences for men and women through barriers to help seeking.

Language: en