Share his troubles: perceptions of men living with grief

Abstract

The National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement by the Australian Government seeks to reduce men’s suicide rates. Yet men who experience grief face unique challenges, including stigmatisation when they are perceived as failing to adhere loyally to their socialised gendered role. One challenge pertaining to bereaved men concerns their social network and how insiders and outsiders come to understand the subjective nature of their grief, and how best to offer support. The present study adopted a social constructionist approach to explore how participants perceived a fictitious character experiencing grief using a hypothetical vignette. A convenience sample of nine males and seven females who resided in Australia participated in answering seven questions concerning the character’s experience of grief by way of associated social networks. The following analytic themes were identified: either participants work with or against hegemonic masculinity to: (1) help me feel their grief, (2) help men think through their grief, and (3) help men express their grief. The study highlights the importance of developing tools to assist social networks of bereaved men to help them feel, think and express their emotions during times of grief. Scholars may expand upon the findings by adopting in-depth qualitative and Online Photo Voice methodologies to develop enhanced mental health practitioner tools to assist men who are experiencing grief as well as their social networks.

Keywords

• grief
• men’s mental health
• social constructionism
• hegemonic masculinity
• inner and outer social network