A look at “The role of gender norm conformity in men’s psychological help-seeking and treatment engagement: a scoping review” by Lewis Burns, Lisa Olive, Alyna Turner, Simon Rice, Anna Wrobel, Bronte Montgomery-Farrer, Bethany Norton, Zac Seidler and Alexa Hayley (2026)
Men make up more than three-quarters of suicide deaths in Australia, where this review was written, and the picture is similar in the UK. Yet men are less likely to seek help for their mental health, and when they do, they’re more likely to drop out. Why? This large review looks at one piece of the puzzle: how closely men stick to traditional gender norms.
What they found
The researchers searched four major databases and found 82 studies, together involving more than 42,000 men, that looked at how gender norms relate to seeking and staying in psychological help.
The headlines:
- Stronger conformity to traditional masculine norms, such as self-reliance, emotional control and risk-taking, was consistently linked with less help-seeking and lower engagement in therapy.
- There was early evidence that conforming to traditionally “feminine” norms, such as emotional openness, was linked with more help-seeking and engagement, in men too.
- Many studies recommended strength-based approaches. These build on positive aspects of masculinity, like courage, responsibility, problem-solving or looking after others. One study found that framing support this way made men more open to it.
- Yet most research still treated masculinity as a deficit: something wrong with men that needs fixing.
A grain of glitter ✨
This is a thorough, systematic scoping review with a large evidence base, and its call to move beyond “toxic masculinity” framing is thoughtful. But the authors themselves point out some big gaps.
Most participants were white, Western, adult university students, which is a narrow slice of men, and teenagers were notably missing. Most studies measured attitudes towards help-seeking rather than what men actually do, and attitudes are the weakest predictor of behaviour. Almost all relied on questionnaires that only measure the negative side of masculinity.
Of particular interest to us: most studies assumed gender equals biological sex, and gay, bisexual and trans men were almost entirely absent. Masculinity looks and feels different across queer communities, and some queer men experience particular pressure around it. This research tells us very little about them. As a scoping review, it also maps the evidence rather than weighing its quality.
Why this matters
If you’re a man (or anyone raised with “man up” messages) and asking for help feels uncomfortable, that’s not a personal failing. It’s a very common pattern shaped by the norms many of us grew up with. Reaching out can actually draw on some of the most valued masculine qualities: courage, taking responsibility and looking after the people who depend on you. Good therapy will meet you where you are, without asking you to become someone else.
Even the most rugged, self-reliant unicorn needs a hoof trim now and then. Asking for one is just good stable management.
If you’re struggling right now, you don’t have to wait. In the UK, Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123.