Exploring public attitudes towards men with depression: a thematic analysis

Abstract

Men with depression often experience stigmatising attitudes from the general public, which can cause distress and affect their help-seeking behaviours. This study aims to expand the research on public stigma by exploring public attitudes towards men with depression. Five women and two men who had not experienced depression personally were recruited to this study and took part in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse their data. The main themes that emerged concerned awareness, depression as a gendered phenomenon and the generational divide. The participants conveyed that older generations exhibit greater stigmatising attitudes, that awareness in men's experience of depression is lacking and that public stigma is intrinsically linked to societal expectations of how a man should behave. These themes highlight areas for further research, and the themes that have been identified should be taken into consideration when creating destigmatisation materials aimed at the general public.