Do Specific Dimensions of Male Gender Role Stress Predict Choice of Coping Strategies?

Background and Significance: Male gender role stress (MGRS)- the stress resulting from rigid adherence to traditional male gender roles- is associated with a range of risk factors, including alcohol abuse and poor health behaviors in community and clinical samples, as well as more severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in male veterans. Male gender role socialization may encourage toughness, restriction of emotional expression, and independence versus collaboration in ways that hinder support seeking and the use of other healthy coping strategies. These features of MGRS may promote reliance on problem-focused and avoidant strategies as the remaining choices for men in the face of stressors. More clearly explicating the relationship between MGRS and coping strategies may have implications for addressing the maladaptive coping strategies that hinder alleviation of psychological distress, including symptoms of PTSD, and foster alcohol abuse. This study hypothesizes that higher MGRS will correspond to more frequent use of problem-focused and maladaptive coping strategies in a community sample of men.

Methods: 118 heterosexual men were recruited from among the clients of a community action agency serving low income individuals in Southeast Pennsylvania. Anonymous surveys collecting demographic data and including the Male Gender Role Stress (MGRS) scale and the COPE Inventory were self-administered by participants and returned in sealed envelopes. Respondents were offered $5 as compensation for their participation. Multivariate linear regression was conducted. Total MGRS scores and scores of MGRS subscales were regressed on COPE subscales, controlling for demographic variables.

Results: Respondents were 18% Caucasian, 75% African-American, and 7% Hispanic. No religious affiliation was reported by 20%, while 18% reported themselves as Protestant, 11% Muslim, 22% Catholic, and 29% Baptist. Means of COPE subscales suggest that religious coping (mean=11.7) and planning (mean=11.9) were utilized more frequently than information seeking (mean=10.7), emotional support (mean=10.2), or denial (mean=8.5). While total MGRS score did not predict use of coping strategies, three MGRS subscales (Emotional Expressiveness, Intellectual Inferiority, and Subordination to Women) predicted use of maladaptive coping strategies, controlling for relevant demographic variables. In addition, the MGRS subscale Subordination to Women predicted seeking support for emotional reasons as a coping strategy.   

Conclusions and Implications: Results highlight the importance of spirituality as a positive coping strategy for men in the African-American community. In addition, specific domains of male gender role stress may serve as better predictors of maladaptive coping strategies than total MGRS scores. Men who are uncomfortable expressing emotion or who report finding situations where they appear intellectually inferior or are outperformed by women to be especially stressful may be more likely to rely on problematic coping strategies. These findings support the literature linking higher levels of MGRS to increased psychological distress, lower incidence of support seeking, and alcohol abuse in community and clinical samples. Results also suggest implications for further study with the growing population of male veterans whose PTSD severity and trajectory of recovery may be impacted by maladaptive coping strategies.