Austrian male patients’ gender role conflict is associated with their wish for interpersonal violence to be addressed during patient-physician conversations: a questionnaire study

Abstract

Abstract Background Experiencing interpersonal violence and disclosing this experience to physicians can be associated with fear, shame, denial or emotional turmoil. Expressions of such feelings additionally conflict with masculine gender role ideologies and may be experienced as masculine gender role conflict. Masculine gender role conflict is often associated with men’s unwillingness to seek professional help. The current study analyzed the association between masculine gender role conflict and men’s wish for patient-physician conversations to include questions about interpersonal violence they might have experienced. Methods In structured closed-ended interviews conducted at an Austrian hospital 129 male patients (Mage = 59.4, SD = 14.7) were asked what forms of interpersonal violence they had experienced. Additionally, a study-specific questionnaire was used to find out whether male patients wanted future physician-patient conversations to include questions about interpersonal violence they might have experienced. Men’s gender role conflict was assessed with the Gender Role Conflict Scale-Short Form. Results Half of the male patients (50%) reported having experienced at least one form of interpersonal violence. Nearly half of the men (48%) wanted their physician to ask them in future about any violence they might have experienced. One pattern of gender role conflict was positively associated with men’s wish to be asked in patient-physician conversations about potential interpersonal violence. Namely, men who reported conflicts between work and family relations were more likely to state that they wanted such conversations (OR = 1.6, 95%CI = 1.1–2.4) than were men who did not often experience this pattern of gender role conflict. Conclusions Experiences of interpersonal violence should be an important part of physician-patient conversations with male patients. Overall, male patients would welcome their physician initiating a potential conversation about violence. Using an approach that takes consideration of masculine gender role ideologies may further increase some men’s willingness to approach the topic of interpersonal violence. Men who adhere to the norm of being preoccupied with work may be more willing to talk about this subject if healthcare situations are framed in a way that men perceive the possibility to uphold masculine gender role ideologies of self-sufficiency or of being in control.