Promoting Male Mental Well-Being Through Community-Based Strategies

Male mental health and well-being is garnering more attention globally due to its associated morbidity and mortality above that of females. Globally, males are more likely to die from suicide and experience debilitation from mental health disorders. They are also more likely to abuse substances, which contributes to many other societal challenges. Considering that maleness is a risk factor, there is definite misalignment with the rate of male participation in mental health services. Contributing factors to this globally pervasive trend vary, but warrant gendered, creative responses that consider the complex demands of the male identity. Community-based mental health interventions present an opportunity to address various socio-ecological factors that affect male mental well-being and enable gender-sensitized well-being promotion. Utilizing examples from a multi-year US-based project with this focus, this chapter will discuss strategies found to be promising practices in promoting male mental well-being through public health focused community-based strategies.