ERIC Number: EJ1442480
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1047-8485
EISSN: EISSN-2472-3451
Examining the Experienced Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Treatment among Metropolitan Millennial Black Men
Demetrius Cofield
Metropolitan Universities, v35 n3 p129-149 2024
The increase in the prevalence of mental illness among Black millennials has led to more awareness and advocacy within the generation. However, Black millennial men are still utilizing counseling services at significantly lower rates than millennial Black women and men of other races. Consequently, this leads to an increase in suicide completions and undiagnosed mental health issues among Black men who experience more severe and disabling symptoms of mental illness. An exploration of racism, stigma, mental health in the Black community, and Black masculinity influenced the development of this study. Based on past reported themes, Black Masculinity and Critical Race Theory are utilized as a multi-dimensional framework for this phenomenological study to provide in-depth information on the barriers to counseling experienced by millennial Black men in a metropolitan city in North Carolina. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of the semi-structured interviews of this study, results indicated the following three themes as experienced barriers: "Black Pride", "Classical Masculinity", and "Negative Perceptions of Mental Health and Counseling." Implications for improving advocacy efforts in similar metropolitan areas by mental health professionals, universities, and general social justice advocates, as well as future research, are provided.
Descriptors: Mental Health, Access to Health Care, Barriers, African Americans, Males, Generational Differences, Mental Disorders, Racism, Social Bias, Masculinity, Critical Race Theory, Counseling, Metropolitan Areas
Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. 8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252. Tel: 410-704-3700; Fax: 410-704-2152; e-mail: cumu@towson.edu; Web site: http://www.cumuonline.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A