International Journal of Psychology, cilt.60, sa.2, 2025 (SSCI)
Men are less likely than women to seek professional help for mental health issues. One significant factor linked to men's lower rates of psychological help-seeking is traditional masculinity. This research presents meta-analyses of the associations between men's attitudes and self-stigma toward psychological help-seeking and masculinity ideology and gender role conflict across 35 samples. It is found that a higher endorsement of traditional masculinity is correlated with negative attitudes toward psychological help-seeking, r = −0.379, p < 0.001, and higher self-stigma of psychological help-seeking, r = 0.351, p < 0.001. Similarly, higher gender role conflict is correlated with negative attitudes toward psychological help-seeking, r = −0.211, p < 0.001, and higher self-stigma of psychological help-seeking, r = 0.300, p < 0.001. The scale used to measure traditional masculinity, country (US/non-US) and the sample type (community/college) did not moderate these relationships. These results support the Gender Role Strain Paradigm's conceptualization of the association between traditional masculinity and men's psychological help-seeking.