Using a television documentary to prevent suicide in men and boys

We investigated whether a documentary about masculinity and suicidality ( Man Up) could raise males' awareness of societal pressures to conform to masculine norms and influence their likelihood of connecting with their male friends and seeking help.

We conducted a repeat cross-sectional survey, posting versions of the survey online before and after Man Up was screened.

1287 male respondents completed the survey; 476 completed the pre-screening survey, 811 the post-screening survey (192 had not viewed Man Up, 619 had). Those who had viewed Man Up were more likely to desire closer relationships with their male friends than those who had not, and had greater awareness of societal pressures on males, but were no more likely to seek help. Almost all respondents who saw Man Up indicated they would recommend it to others, and most said it changed the way they thought about the term 'man up'. They indicated they would be likely to undertake a number of adaptive actions following the show, and provided overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Man Up appeared to effectively address factors that place males at heightened risk of suicide.