Exploring if social support has an impact on men's experiences with male mental health stigma : a thematic analysis.

Roberts, Megan (2018) Exploring if social support has an impact on men's experiences with male mental health stigma : a thematic analysis. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This study was carried out with the aim to bridge the gap between previous research and provide insight into social support and male mental health stigma. The present study explores the thoughts and experiences of the potential impact of social support on male mental health stigma. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to maximise the detail on experiences of male mental health stigma, and of the different ways that social support could reduce any stigma perceived. Thematic analysis was implemented to analyse the data along with the epistemology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) in order to gain a better insight into the participant’s lived experience. Four main themes were identified and within the themes, there were sub-themes. The findings were interesting, and have left ample room for further research to be conducted into the different aspects of social support that can alleviate stigma.