Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality
Men’s high suicide rates have been linked to individual risk factors including history of being abused as a child, single marital status, and financial difficulties. While it has also been suggested that the normative influences of hegemonic masculinities are implicated in men’s suicide, the gendere...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2017-07-01
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| Series: | American Journal of Men's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316679576 |
| _version_ | 1818323141393383424 |
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| author | John L. Oliffe PhD Genevieve Creighton PhD Steve Robertson PhD Alex Broom PhD Emily K. Jenkins PhD John S. Ogrodniczuk PhD Olivier Ferlatte PhD |
| author_facet | John L. Oliffe PhD Genevieve Creighton PhD Steve Robertson PhD Alex Broom PhD Emily K. Jenkins PhD John S. Ogrodniczuk PhD Olivier Ferlatte PhD |
| author_sort | John L. Oliffe PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Men’s high suicide rates have been linked to individual risk factors including history of being abused as a child, single marital status, and financial difficulties. While it has also been suggested that the normative influences of hegemonic masculinities are implicated in men’s suicide, the gendered experiences of male suicidality are poorly understood. In the current photovoice study, 20 men who previously had suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or attempts were interviewed as a means to better understanding the connections between masculinities and their experiences of suicidality. The study findings revealed injury, interiority, and isolation as interconnected themes characterizing men’s suicidality. Injury comprised an array of childhood and/or cumulative traumas that fueled men’s ruminating thoughts inhibiting recovery and limiting hopes for improved life quality. In attempting to blunt these traumas, many men described self-injuring through the overuse of alcohol and other drugs. The interiority theme revealed how suicidal thoughts can fuel hopelessness amid summonsing remedies from within. The challenges to self-manage, especially when experiencing muddled thinking and negative thought were evident, and led some participants to summons exterior resources to counter suicidality. Isolation included separateness from others, and was linked to abandonment issues and not having a job and/or partner. Self-isolating also featured as a protection strategy to avoid troubling others and/or reducing exposure to additional noxious stimuli. The study findings suggest multiple intervention points and strategies, the majority of which are premised on promoting men’s social connectedness. The destigmatizing value of photovoice methods is also discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:07:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24e06c98b8f140dba096c1bc9c089c44 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1557-9883 1557-9891 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T11:07:58Z |
| publishDate | 2017-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | American Journal of Men's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-24e06c98b8f140dba096c1bc9c089c442022-12-21T23:48:53ZengSAGE PublishingAmerican Journal of Men's Health1557-98831557-98912017-07-011110.1177/1557988316679576Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s SuicidalityJohn L. Oliffe PhD0Genevieve Creighton PhD1Steve Robertson PhD2Alex Broom PhD3Emily K. Jenkins PhD4John S. Ogrodniczuk PhD5Olivier Ferlatte PhD6University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaLeeds Beckett University, Leeds, UKUniversity of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, AustraliaUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaUniversity of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaMen’s high suicide rates have been linked to individual risk factors including history of being abused as a child, single marital status, and financial difficulties. While it has also been suggested that the normative influences of hegemonic masculinities are implicated in men’s suicide, the gendered experiences of male suicidality are poorly understood. In the current photovoice study, 20 men who previously had suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or attempts were interviewed as a means to better understanding the connections between masculinities and their experiences of suicidality. The study findings revealed injury, interiority, and isolation as interconnected themes characterizing men’s suicidality. Injury comprised an array of childhood and/or cumulative traumas that fueled men’s ruminating thoughts inhibiting recovery and limiting hopes for improved life quality. In attempting to blunt these traumas, many men described self-injuring through the overuse of alcohol and other drugs. The interiority theme revealed how suicidal thoughts can fuel hopelessness amid summonsing remedies from within. The challenges to self-manage, especially when experiencing muddled thinking and negative thought were evident, and led some participants to summons exterior resources to counter suicidality. Isolation included separateness from others, and was linked to abandonment issues and not having a job and/or partner. Self-isolating also featured as a protection strategy to avoid troubling others and/or reducing exposure to additional noxious stimuli. The study findings suggest multiple intervention points and strategies, the majority of which are premised on promoting men’s social connectedness. The destigmatizing value of photovoice methods is also discussed.https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316679576 |
| spellingShingle | John L. Oliffe PhD Genevieve Creighton PhD Steve Robertson PhD Alex Broom PhD Emily K. Jenkins PhD John S. Ogrodniczuk PhD Olivier Ferlatte PhD Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality American Journal of Men's Health |
| title | Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality |
| title_full | Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality |
| title_fullStr | Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality |
| title_short | Injury, Interiority, and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality |
| title_sort | injury interiority and isolation in men s suicidality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316679576 |
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