Developing young men's wellbeing through community and school-based programs: A systematic review
Kate Gwyther1,2, Ray Swann3, Kate Casey3
1Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Plos One
|May 21, 2019
Summary
Male-targeted health programs may improve wellbeing for young men aged 12-25. Further research is needed to develop effective, gender-informed health promotion strategies for boys and young men.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Health
- Men's Health
Background:
- Boys and young men (aged 12-25) possess unique health needs often unmet by current services.
- Social determinants, including masculinity norms, contribute to poor health outcomes like self-stigma and low help-seeking behaviors.
- Existing health programs may not adequately address the specific psychosocial and health-related challenges faced by young males.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review community and school-based programs targeting young men (aged 12-25).
- To evaluate program features and outcomes relevant to male psychological, psychosocial, masculinity, and educational development.
- To identify effective strategies for improving health and wellbeing in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across five databases (Medline, EMBASE, PsycInfo, ERIC, ERAD).
- Inclusion criteria: evaluated interventions for young men (general or at-risk), measured psychological, psychosocial, masculinity, or educational outcomes.
- Synthesis of data including theoretical frameworks, intervention characteristics, and key results from 40 high-quality studies.
Main Results:
- Male-focused interventions showed potential benefits over gender-neutral programs for young men.
- Few studies (14/40) specifically focused on males, and none utilized masculine-specific theory as an overarching framework.
- Limited incorporation of masculinity-specific variables (3 studies) and a lack of replication/program refinement were noted.
Conclusions:
- There is a significant need for developing community and school-based health promotion programs tailored to young men.
- Incorporating frameworks that address gendered social and environmental determinants of health is crucial for program effectiveness.
- Further evaluation is needed to translate beneficial outcomes into best-practice policy for adolescent and young men's health.
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