Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
Times may be changing in the way children are being raised.
There have and most likely will always be differences in the way girls and boys are raised. Girls have been allowed more freedom in expressing their emotional side, ergo the emotional female. Her physical complaints are not always considered because they have been assumed to be emotionally based by a male dominated medical profession, especially early in medical care (a topic for another article).
In the same vein, boys have been and still are raised to downplay their emotions. Boys are told to suck it up. They are told ‘boys don’t cry’ and to ‘be tough’ and not to show emotions. Researchers call this male gender expressivity.
So, how does that affect a male’s health? Could it be that the manlier a male is, the more manliness may affect his health?
A research study conducted in 1994-1995 called the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health asked a variety of questions to young girls and boys in 7th to 12th grade. Such questions included how often do you cry? How often do you wear a seat belt? Have you ever been arrested? Are you upset by difficult questions? How often do you exercise?
The answers to these questions were then tabulated to give a manliness score, defined as how well the answers provided aligned with a “typical male” answer to these questions. These scores were tabulated during the person’s adolescence and surely over time, one’s experiences may change one’s perspective. The researchers selected adolescence as the time to study primarily because it is during this time in a person’s life when many gender roles are formed.
So, let’s fast forward 30 years and examine exactly how those manliness scores have affected the health of these men today.
The research scientists were looking at conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and increased cholesterol. The manliness score did not affect those who developed these medical conditions, as one would expect. The researchers determined that when a male subject was asked if he had hypertension, he likely would not admit that he had the condition.
The study participants were required to have their blood pressures recorded along with a cholesterol check and other routine medical tests.
The study showed that the higher the manliness score, the less likely the male research participant admitted that he had a medical condition or know there may a problem.
A lack of being forthcoming with health information is a big issue. If a patient is experiencing a medical problem but refuses to admit that it exists, they are not availing themselves of the needed treatment. Instead, they are delaying the needed lifesaving treatment.
So, as it was noted in this article, because society trains boys to hide their emotions, to not be vulnerable, and to not admit when they are hurt, this behavior may persist into adulthood and to the person’s detriment. The manlier they are, the more they may not be seeking appropriate and much needed medical care. We need our men to be more vulnerable, to show their emotions and seek care.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
